Fighting Urges
by Neross-qod
Summary: Sometimes the only way to heal the pain is to make it hurt somewhere else. For Garrus and Shepard the best release is each other. Now if only their pride would heal as easily as the bruises. Complete
1. The first strike

Neross: Well my sick sweet darlings I know I should be finishing my other stories but...well...inspiration is like a needy...needy little whore. It just will not be ignored. Anyway here is my second mass effect work. In all honesty I'd hoped to have this as an amazing long one shot but sadly...it turned out to be MUCH too long. So now I've got another full-blown story with chapters on my hands. Ah well what'cha going to do right? Read on my sick little darlings and enjoy.

Warning: This fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations.

...

Commander Shepard didn't do Romance. The first Normandy crew knew that. The second Normandy crew learned it after Horizon. And Garrus knew ever since he had first read her file back when he was still a C-Sec officer and she was just potential. He'd watched as Alenko had suffered his feelings for her in silence. And he'd seen the way that Liara stared after the woman whenever they were done talking or engaging in what the commander called 'girl-time'. But the commander never budged. She was focused on her mission. Had to be. She couldn't let herself suffer through emotions that would leave her cloudy at the moments when it mattered most.

She didn't seem to care that everyone thought they were all going to die in the attempt to get to Ilos. In fact it only seemed to encourage her to get them all through what was to come without losing anyone. But they had lost people. And Shepard had had to watch her friends, her crew members, the people she trusted and cared for die around her. But she was a solider...and she soldiered on. But Garrus had seen the weight on her shoulders. They way she carried her guilt and her responsibilities. She never flinched but he saw the haunted thoughts hidden behind her dark, dreaming, blue eyes.

There were times he'd catch her in the old hull, and even more so now in the new, tearing away at a punching bag as if fighting against Saren again...fighting for her life. She wouldn't cry then, but the Turian somehow sensed she wanted to. While he didn't care for bitching, or whining, or crying on his shoulder, Garrus took it as a vote of confidence in him when she'd come to him discuss some of her worries. He knew she held back, at least with him, but she shared a portion of herself with him few others truly got to see. And she took his views and support to heart. She respected him, trusted him, and he began to love her.

He didn't know when it came about, that strange feeling of affection mixed with lust...but he figured it must have started shortly after the events on Virmire. It had been the first time he'd caught her beating the punching bag in the ship's make-shift gym to death. For once she'd let her hair hang loose, no longer pulled back in that neat little bun she always kept it in. Her face looked somehow...softer...with her bright red hair framing her face. She'd cast aside her military wear and had on only a pair of shorts and an ill-fitting tank-top, and something beneath Garrus learned later was called a 'sports-bra'. But what had really thrown Garrus for a loop was her feet. He remembered it had been the first time he'd seen bare human feet in person.

They were smaller than he'd imagined them to be, and strange to stare at with all those digits. Yet she moved on them effortlessly, pivoting and sliding across the floor around the poor bag. He found himself helplessly watching the way her feet worked as she kicked, or how they shifted when she punched. It was different than seeing how her feet moved with armor on. Here he could see how each toe worked in effort, how easily she balanced on them when she rose for a spinning kick that would have knocked anyone over, human or otherwise. And Garrus found himself fascinated at how her skin changed color depending on how much pressure was placed on the muscles and joints beneath.

Eventually, however, she'd caught him staring. And, panting, she'd wiped the hair sticking to her forehead with sweat away from her face. She didn't smile at him, but she didn't frown. She merely cinched her eyebrows together in query and relaxed acknowledgment, holding out a hand to stop the punching bag from swinging on it's chain. "Garrus." she'd muttered, breathless, sending him crashing back from whatever world his mind had been on. His eyes shot up from her feet to her eyes. "Didn't mean to disturb you commander." he told her with little apology, stepping further into the gym.

There was an odd quirk of her lips but she simply nodded and gestured for him to join her as she turned to sit upon the only bench provided within the small, crowded gym. She didn't sit with dignity, as she sometimes did in the mess hall or in meetings with the crew. Instead she plopped down unceremoniously and grabbed the water-bottle Garrus hadn't noticed sitting on the floor. The Turian stalked over and took to leaning against the small boxing ring set up in the middle of the gym. Acting as a great big waste of space most of the time as few people bothered to get in the ring when any one of Shepard's squad was in attendance. And they out-rightly fled when she walked in.

The ex-C-sec officer took to watching her again, noting the way her skin seemed to change color in slight degrees as she cooled down from her exertions. It was interesting how much of her was evident in her skin. And Garrus had never seen so much of it before. Or any human for that matter. He'd done basic study of their biology back in school...but staring at pictures was nothing like seeing something up close and personal. And for some reason that was somehow beyond his reasoning, nearly instinctual, he found himself wanting to know what human skin felt like. He wondered, briefly, if it was as soft as it looked. And her hair, that hung like a curtain upon her shoulders, it looked like it was made of silk. She looked wild with so much of herself revealed. Fierce and soft and fragrant all at the same time, like some sort of wild and untamed beast straight out of the jungles of some unknown world. Savage and passionate...and beautiful. The thought was frightening. Garrus had never thought of any human like that...hell he'd never even thought of asari in that context before.

He'd seem Turian women who were beautiful, even chanced a romance with one or two of them. And although he might have found aliens to be pretty or intriguing to look at, he'd never felt that primal urge that comes from finding someone truly...beautiful. But at the moment...that's what the commander was. Wildly beautiful. He found the observation strange and foreign in his mind. At the time the thought was not tied with any recognizable thoughts of lust or feelings of love...but it was an awakening in his primal being that recognized her in that way. And it was easily enough ignored and reigned in by rationality. It was an observation. She was beautiful. Move on.

So he did, and about time too for she had finished wiping away most of her sweat and calming down enough to actually register what was said. And she was looking at him expectantly, but patiently. "Taking it out pretty hard on that old bag aren't you Shepard?" the Turian commented, his mouth flexing into his version of a smirk, though he wished to reflect worry. She looked tired, worn-down...and not just from the exercise. She sat back on the bench, her hands splaying out beside her as she leaned her back against the wall, unconsciously sticking her chest out a bit more as she stared up at him. He didn't look, well, not for long anyway. "I just needed to beat the hell out of something. And they're aren't any geth or crewman around to destroy so...the bag is just going to have to take one for the team." She meant for there to be humor in her voice, but there was none.

Garrus noticed it with ease and pushed himself away from the ring to sit beside her on the bench. She shifted, pulling herself forward, slumping a little, to maintain eye contact. Or to avoid it as she seemed to be doing now. It wasn't like her, and they both seemed to know it. They were quiet for a while, a full set of tired heartbeats, before Garrus finally, cautiously posed a question. "Is that how you deal with it?" He needn't explain what he meant. Both minds went flying to Virmire. To the bomb and the friend it took away from them. To Kaiden and the sad news Shepard had had to send back to Earth. "Yeah," she uttered quietly, her voice dark and filled with regret. "It is."

...

Neross: Well I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. I apologize to those who read this after I first posted it. My bad for not going in and editing it. I swear it won't happen again...this week. In any case I hope you all leave me a lovely little review to let me know how I'm doing so far.

Until then my sick little darlings, please stay tuned for more of my sweet torture won't you?


	2. Envy the Catepillar

Neross: Hello my dears and welcome to chapter two. I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter. And I apologize for their short length but as I mentioned in chapter one I had originally planned for this to be a one shot. Oh well. At least I can update much more quickly this way. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter and I hope you enjoy my sweet Valentine's gift to you all. Enjoy my sick little darlings.

Warning: This fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations.

...

He'd begun noticing her more and more after that. Subtle things about her that he'd missed before. The way she bit her lip when she concentrated on things she didn't like, or didn't think were important...like mission reports. The way her eyes would light up at the thought of a single good drink or at the smell of something she thought was particularly delicious. The way her eyebrows would draw together when she was focused on something interesting or intriguing like cultural notes or a good book. The way her smile softened around Liara in a way that was at the same time affectionate and distant. The way her eyes would watch places where people were before that weren't there anymore...and never would be. And the funny way her nose crinkled up when she laughed.

But the one thing Garrus noticed more than ever before was how she'd stare at old pictures. He didn't catch her doing it often, but there were a few times he stumbled upon her glancing at holos of herself, or people he didn't recognize. Young impulsive looking people dressed like punks and the sort of trouble-makers he'd brought in a dozen different times back on the citadel for petty crimes. She looked different in those old photos, her hair loose and wild like the night he'd caught her in the gym. Her smile small, confident, and filled with mischief. The look of defiance in her eyes in those pictures reminded him of the times she'd speak to Udina, her nose up in the air in indignation but her hands clutched to her sides in resignation of her duty. The pictures of her younger self were pictures of an almost entirely different person.

And she stared at the photos with a varying mixture of emotions. Sometimes he'd catch her smiling wistfully, an older reflection of the girl gesturing rebelliously in the old holos. At other times she'd be staring, almost in disappointment, at those old pictures, her mouth pulled into an unidentifiable line of mixed regret and affection. And yet at other times she'd gaze at them with a look so full of longing and heart-break it would seem as if Garrus was witness to her heart slowly shattering before his eyes. It was only shortly before they left for Ilos that Garrus learned what significance the photos held for her.

He'd wandered in to the mess hall for a late night snack when he found her lying on the dinning table, once more barefoot, her hair undone, her regulation jacket hanging open to reveal the black t-shirt underneath. She was gazing up at a holo of herself and a group of fellow teenagers, all wearing the clothes of delinquents and staring out with reckless defiance and rebellion against a backdrop of a mountainside at sunset. Her expression was wistful and lost in a grin not unlike the one her younger self revealed upon a tower of rocks, surrounded by friends and followers. The whole situation was like some sort of happy joke and Garrus couldn't fight the smile that worked it's way onto his face as he sat his tray down beside her and stared down at her with a snarky grin. "Reminiscing Shepard?" he asked her, her startled look of mixed frantic embarrassment quickly falling back to that defiant grin that spoke of her rebellious youth.

"Yeah." She told him, sitting up on the table and pushing the holo to the side. She crossed her legs and smirked at him as if daring him to tell her to get off the table, he didn't bother. It was more fun to see her sitting there like that , a perfect image of a younger woman filled with wild abandon. "You have a habit of doing it on tables?" he asked her. An eyebrow rose in humor and her lips twitched into a wicked grin. " I dunno Garrus," she started leaning forward to stare him in the eye with a suggestive and seductive tilt to her voice, the way she moved her shoulders as she leaned forward toward him spoke of dark intentions. "Do you?" she finished, her tone humorous, but filled with lecherous suggestion.

The Turian groaned at his mistake and slapped a hand over his face as he heard the commander begin to laugh at his expense. "Right Shepard thanks for that." the ex-C-Sec growled, his grin still standing despite his incredulous tone. She merely smirked back at him and whipped a hand through her hair, pulling it away from her face, sitting upright once more. "Anytime Garrus." she told him with a slight chuckle before her eyes drifted back to the holo sitting upon the table, a highlight to the mood.

"We took this just after my graduation from high school. We were still laughing over the look on Jamie Pimm's face when she found out I'd beaten her for the Valedictorian spot. Guess she always figured I was too much of a punk to do well. After my name was called our whole gang rang up with a chant." She grinned and stuck her nose up in a victorious way as she sang out. "Jamie Pimm lost to a lousy crim! Gene is the punk of punks! Jamie Pimm lost to a lousy crim! Shepard really rocks! Jamie Pimm can out cheer us for a lousy buck! But Shepard won so we don't give a fuck!" She laughed again and Garrus couldn't help but chuckle a bit as well, seeing her face turn back into that young girl both proud and embarrassed at the same time, cheering a victory while laughing at her own short-comings.

She sighed and turned the holo so she could see it better and pointed out the mountain in the background. "They called me up there that day to show me what they'd done to the town's letters. They'd been painted on the rocks on that hillside for as long as any of us could remember...as if we couldn't remember the name of our own town and had to constantly be reminded that we lived in Victoria Hills." She scrunched her nose at this and then settled back into her easy smirk as she drew her hand away. "They'd painted over the letters that day with my initials. So for a full year it was G.S. staring down at us...of course I didn't see much of the hill that year. The second I turned eighteen I signed up with the alliance and shipped out for basic training before the paint had even dried. I think they knew that though. I just couldn't stay there...and I tried so hard to get the others to leave too...to find better jobs off planet. Respectable jobs that'd pay them without asking for their souls in return. But I was the only one who left. "

Her smile fell and became a small and sad ghost of her earlier defiance. Regret filling the place where that old youthful abandon had been. Without thinking Garrus placed a comforting hand on her knee. Immediately Shepard turned to stare at him, as if suddenly made aware of where she was...of who she was. Her lips pulled for a brief moment into a reassuring smile and she patted the hand on her knee in recognition before she let her hand and his slip away and turned once more to the picture with a true smile, this time one of pride and affection. "I can't blame them. Earth is their home...it's been our home for thousands of years. Guess I couldn't ask them to give that up. And I miss it more than I'd like to admit. "

Garrus smiled at her sympathetically. "I know what you mean." he told her sincerely. She'd smiled at him then and turned to hop off the table, turning around to grin at him one last time before she shot him that defiant gesture of her youth and sauntered off to her own quarters.

That was the first night Garrus dreamed of her. Upon waking he cursed his subconscious...but already he knew it wasn't entirely to blame. Because that defiant and wild smile of hers was stuck in his mind and had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

...

Neross: Alright my darlings I do hope you enjoyed this latest chapter. And remember the best way to get me to update quicker is to leave me a review to let me know how I'm doing. Because while being favorited is a nice treat it's much more of an incentive to hear from my lovely readers and to find what I'm doing wrong and what I'm doing right.

Until next time my darlings, stay tuned for more of my sweet torture won't you?


	3. Lightning Before Thunder

Neross: Well hello my sick little darlings and welcome back. I hope you all are having a wonderful extended winter. I know I am. It was such a pleasure to hear from some of you after the last chapter so I thought you could use another one. I do hope you enjoy it my dears because this chapter was particularly fun for me to write.

Warning: This fanfcition may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy my sick little darlings.

...

The first time Garrus truly admitted to himself that he had feelings for her beyond trust, beyond respect, was just before the Normandy had been deployed to search for the cause of several missing ships out in the Terminus systems. Before they parted ways at the Citadel. He for the Spectres...and she for her death.

He had found her in the gym again, destroying her favorite punching bag. This time pain clear on her face. She was suffering on the inside. Truly and sincerely suffering. The instant Garrus knew he felt his heart clench painfully in his chest empathetically. He knew she wouldn't want company. That she'd want to work out whatever was bothering her on her own. But he also knew she could use a better outlet.

So he stalked in and grabbed the bag, forcing it to stop swinging. Making her stop to look at him. She ignored him instead. She continued to punch away at the bag for several more tense, furious, frantic, moments. Until at last she stopped with a sound that was half way between a repressed scream and a loathing growl. She leaned her head on the bag and held onto it, fingers brushing slightly against talons. They stayed that way for only the briefest of seconds before she pushed the bag away from her, nearly throwing Garrus off balance. She thrust her hands into her hair and tossed her towel to the floor before she vehemently turned to glare at him, blue eyes covered with harsh ice.

"What the bloody hell do you want Garrus?" she snapped her hair seeming to stand on end with her fury at being interrupted.

He didn't balk, didn't flinch. He simply walked over, picked up her discarded towel, and sat down across from her on the lonely bench they had shared the first time he'd caught her tearing away in the gym alone. He handed her the offended piece of fabric and was pleasantly surprised when she actually took it. He waited until she was done wiping the sweat from her face before he attempted to speak. He didn't want her to have an excuse. He needed her to talk to him...to face what was wrong with her.

"Something wrong Commander? Or were you attempting to defeat the Reapers by showing them how well you beat up on a punching bag?" His tone was not a question but an accusation, and he leveled her with a strict look of disappointment.

She turned a glare on him over the edge of her towel, but the effect was diminished. The ice in her stare was gone. Now there was only the ember of the normal burning fire that existed within her sharp blue orbs. It was a good sign.

She turned away from him and stared hard at the floor, her expression unreadable. "I got mail from earth today."

Garrus knew better than to interject. So he waited for her to continue, though it took her a moment to do so. She breathed in deep and let it out with a shudder. "My best friend Jack Ferris was on the Citadel when Saren and the Geth attacked. He died in the midst of the battle. He'd come to look for me...it was supposed to be a surprise. He was getting married soon. To a girl we both knew as kids. He wanted me to be there with him." She gave a breathless laugh that was more hollow than any husk was of emotion. "He wanted me to be his best 'man'. And he's dead."

She uttered the last so quietly Garrus was afraid she was about to cry. But she didn't. She bit her lip until it bled and clenched her hands so tight at her side that her knuckles turned bone-white. She let out a frustrated yell and punched the closest thing she could. Garrus was thankful it was the floor of the ring behind them and not his face...but he wished it had been him when he saw the way her shoulders shuddered. "I might as well have shot the bullet myself." she whispered, her voice hoarse.

Garrus frowned, his eyes lowering in anger over the blame she was putting on herself. He stood in a swift movement and slammed his own hand into the platform beside her own, shocking her into looking at him, the haunted look in her eyes doing nothing to abate his fury. "Don't pull that b.s. on me Shepard. You're not the type to go around crying 'martyr' so cut the crap." He told her on a growl. Instantly it was there in her eyes again. The flame he was so used to. Only it was searing, as white hot as lightening, and it was the only warning he got before she grabbed his head and slammed it into the platform as well. His world spun and he barely managed to glimpse her move before he felt himself being thrown up into the boxing ring his head had just assaulted.

She climbed in after him and glared down at him, wiping the blood away from her lip with the back of her fist. Her fury clear. "You want to talk shit Garrus! Good let's talk shit! I'd love to hear what is and is not 'me' from someone else!" She ground out at him. He barely managed to roll out of the way as she slammed her hand down, aiming for his throat. Alright, true, this had been his aim all along. Get her to work out her aggression on something that could hit back...but he'd clearly underestimated how dirty she fought when properly pissed. He'd only just managed to stand when she rounded on him with a kick to his head he only just managed to block. He made a grab for her before she could recover and snagged her by the shirt. He tossed her up and over, knocking her on her back on the floor of the ring, noting the sick choking sound that resulted from the air being forced from her lungs.

"You may not want to hear this Shepard but not everything in the universe is hinged on your damned decisions! Sometimes shit just happens!" He ground out to her, glaring down at her. She sneered up at him, her teeth flashing in her anger. She grabbed his leg before he could react and she pulled it right out from under him, sending him crashing down as well. And she was on him in an instant. She caught his head between her thighs and took hold of his arm and twisted her body as she pulled. Despite himself the Turian let out a pained groan as he felt his arm being pulled painfully out of joint. "I. do. not. have. a. god. complex." She ground out over the strain.

He would have rolled his eyes at her comment if it hadn't been for the pain, as it was Garrus opted for getting out of her grasp. He reached around with his free arm and grabbed her by one firm, round, cheek of her fine ass and wrenched her forward and off of him. He sat up instantly and rolled his shoulder back into place before he turned to face her once more. She was staring at him with an incredulous look, her hand absently holding onto where he had grabbed her. The plain indignant shock on her face surprised him and made him falter.

"You!" She started, her voice breathless, her tone unreadable. "You fucking Turian." she said after a moment a slow grin forming upon her lips. "You fucking groped me!" and she laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. Garrus stood and stared down at her as if she were insane. "You kiss your mother with that mouth Commander? Maybe I'll add that you swear as good as a Krogan on the next report to Anderson. I'm sure he'll love that." he told her, his voice too taking on tones of laughter.

She finally took a moment to breath and looked at him with a thankful and lazy sort of smile, her eyes hazy and dark with mixed emotions. "You do and I swear to god I'll tell the Spectres you sexually harassed me."

Garrus chuckled and grinned at her. "Hey who was the one who decided it would be a good idea to hook my head between her thighs?" he queried, pleased to see a wide-eyed look of sudden realization spark in her eyes instead of grief or fury. Still it didn't take her long for her lips to pull up into an embarrassed and twisted little smile. "Shut up Garrus."

"Or what Shepard?"

"Or nothing. You shut up or I'll make you shut up."

"Couldn't make me the first time."

She glared at him... and grinned at him. And he grinned right back. And then she laughed and flopped back on the mat, her gaze going to the ceiling. "You're just like him you know...Jack." She muttered wistfully after awhile. Garrus stared at her in curiosity and couldn't help the slight wondering tilt to his voice when he responded to her. "How so?"

"He would've kicked my ass too."

...

Neross: Well wasn't that just LOVELY my sweets? I know I enjoyed it. But I'm afraid that in the course of helping a family member move I have injured my hand. It would make me feel so much better (and me update so much faster) if you would leave a review for me.

Until then, come back soon for more of my sweet torture won't you?


	4. Grief Comes on Quick Wings

Neross: Welcome back my sick little darlings! To my American Readers I hope you all enjoyed your President's Day Weekend...as I did not. To my non-American readers...well...I hope you all had a wonderful weekend regardless. Sadly I only have time for a short chapter today my dears. But do not fret! Another one is JUST around the corner.

Warning: This fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy my sick little darlings.

...

A month later he learned about the fate of the Normandy...and her death. And the second he heard he regretted never telling her how much she meant to him that last night in the gym. He regretted even more that he was only learning now how much he wanted her. It almost destroyed him. He resigned from any position of authority, Spectre or otherwise, the day before her funeral. And as most of the galaxy bent their heads to mourn the hero they had lost Garrus was beating away at a punching bag of his own late into the night...until his hands began to bleed and he could no longer feel the tips of his talons.

But he wasn't like her, and he couldn't punch his feelings away...at least...not on an inanimate object. So instead he went to a place where he knew it'd be easy to find somebody he'd feel good about punching and knocking around as collateral for his grief. He went to Omega. He was glad nobody knew who he was there. It made things easy when he took to enacting his own kind of justice on the criminals and mercs that ran around Omega as if nobody could touch them.

Somewhere along the line he started picking up followers. He was never quite sure how. The first couple came after helping him out with a few of his own personal missions. The next came because they liked the ideal behind his vigilantism. And before he knew it his way to channel his grief had become something of an illusion of the time he had spent with her. A group of strange and talented individuals all driven toward a similar goal, lead by the person they had admired or had trusted enough to follow. Only she wasn't the one at the center anymore. It was him. And he began to understand a bit of how she must have felt on the Normandy with so much riding on her shoulders.

But she was still there. Still the main cause of most of his actions. His grief still acting as the main catalyst for the actions he took against the darkest elements of Omega. And it didn't occur to him until she had been gone for nearly two years. That he still loved her. Still mourned her.

He didn't know until a part of her past came to haunt him.

...

Neross: Well my dears, that's all for today. Sadly I only had time for one brief update. You see I have been very busy aiding my rather...tumultuous family... help my grandmother move into her new home. We are all very glad to see she is in a much better place but, well...I as well as most of my family are all rather exhausted. Still I hope you will encourage me to update the next chapter quickly by leaving me a review. Won't you do that for me my dears? I do so hope you do.

Until next time my darlings, stay tuned for more of my sweet torture won't you?


	5. Romulus, Remus, and Mother Wolf

Neross: Hmm, well I have returned once again my dear readers. And I want to thank you for you honest reviews. While it's encouraging to hear about what I'm doing right I love it even more when someone tells me I've done something well...not quite right. I guess I'm just masochistic that way. *ahem*

...Anyway...I worked hard to write a longer chapter for you this time so please let me know what you think won't you?

Warning: This fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy.

...

He was busy assembling his gun, the gun she had bought for him, when Sidonis brought them in. They were the strangest looking humans Garrus had ever seen. They were both small and neither one had a full head of hair. Instead one had deep red locks that fell to the right side of his head, and only the right. And the other had a hair of deep blue that fell to the left, and only to the left. Yet despite the hair they looked nearly the same. They were slight and slimmer than most humans Garrus was familiar with. They would have looked like children if it weren't for the chin-stripe beard on the face of the one with the red hair and the curves and nicely shaped breasts of the one with the blue. They were both dressed like typical punks of Omega but the way they stared at Garrus with their twin pairs of sharp green eyes was familiar.

Perhaps it was the confidence in the way they stood. Perhaps it was the wild defiance in their matching smiles. But whatever it was Garrus felt like he'd seen them before. They sat down on a couch across from him and Sidonis leaned against the doorway, staring at the twins with the same sort of strange wonder that Garrus was sure was clear on his own features. "Can I help you two?" Garrus asked simply, thinking about going back to work on his gun and ignoring the odd itch of recognition at the back of his mind.

"You're the guy they call Archangel right?" The male asked, leaning forward to stare at the Turian with a confident smirk. The woman on the other hand leaned back and crossed her hands over her chest and looked at him with a distant sort of approval. Garrus nodded absently, already losing some interest. "Yeah...so what do want? I don't have a lot of time here. I've got an illegal Blue Suns shipment with my name on it." Garrus ground out.

This time it was the girl who smiled. "Actually...we thought we could help you with that. Since we know when and where the shipment's going out. We even got our hands on a choice bit of data about the buyers you could pass off to the Spectres...or somebody who cares."

Garrus set down what he was working with and turned a serious eye on the twins sitting across from him, no longer so interested in his gun. "Alright...I'm impressed. You guys have any sort of experience actually dealing with mercs or handling weapons?"

The two exchanged glances and then pinned him with duplicate looks of unabashed amusement. "Ever heard of Cerberus?" They asked in unison. Sidonis retired his lazy stance against the wall and Garrus had to fight the scowl that wanted to form on his face. He'd dealt with Cerberus before, back when SHE had still been alive. Back before he'd known how much she meant to him. "Yeah." he said simply, his tone distant. "I've heard of them. And I don't trust them."

The twins lost their grins and leveled him with equal looks of understanding and regret. "Yeah." said the guy. "Neither do we."

"We never should've joined up with them. But...we were stupid kids at the time. And jobs were poor as fuck to come by back on Earth." The girl said with a look that spoke of past disappointment and remorse at past actions.

"So we worked for them as a vanguard and infiltrator respectively. Dealt mostly with local thugs and mercs back in our home system until..." And at this the red-head hesitated and shot a mournful look to the floor.

The girl looked Garrus in the eye with her own, and found a grief similar to his own swimming behind the human's eyes. "Until we learned what Gene had done on the Citadel."

Garrus was impressed he didn't bite his own tongue off in surprise when they mentioned her name. He fought off the instinct to burst out with a thousand questions, to shout out that he knew her. Instead Garrus turned to Sidonis and made a motion with his head. "Leave us alone for a bit will you?" he stated. The other Turian looked as if he wanted to argue but after an awkward moment of silent posturing Sidonis gave up with a sigh and left the room. Garrus locked the door behind him before he at last turned to the twins with something of a smile.

"You knew Gene? " He asked them slowly, hopefully. The twins exchanged looks before turning back to him and nodding in unison. "We were apart of her crew back in high school." The male twin told him, looking slightly smug.

The girl on the other hand held a gentler smile as she regarded him. "Of course that's probably not as impressive as what you helped her accomplish. Is it?"

Garrus' smile fell and he threw his head in a gesture toward the door. "Do me a favor and don't go spreading that around. As far as anybody knows I'm just Archangel. I don't like the idea of mixing business with pleasure in this kind of work."

The twins nodded as one. "Your secret's safe with us...but...just so we're totally clear. You're Garrus Vakarian right?" the red-head asked his green eyes inquisitive. Garrus simply nodded. The girl smiled wide. "We thought so...Gene talked about you in some of the messages she sent back home."

Garrus sat up straighter, her death weighing on him once again. "I didn't know she sent letters home. I guess I thought she was always too busy." he admitted, it frustrated him to learn there were portions of her he still didn't know about. Even after all the time they'd spent together on the Normandy. Fighting the Geth...fighting Saren...fighting each other. That last night in the gym flashed into his mind and he had to grind his teeth together to keep from wallowing once more in the bitter-sweet memory.

This time it was just the boy who nodded a hint of grief behind his smile now as well. "She must of managed somehow. Doesn't surprise me you didn't know though. Gene always wrote when she was sure she was alone. She used to tell us that that sort of thing was private. She'd always get so mad at us if she caught us looking at letters she hadn't meant for us."

The girl's smile too became lined with sorrow and she made a pass through her bright blue hair with her hand. "She sent us all letters though. Made sure to keep the old group together. She really cared for us, always wanted to make sure we'd be okay...even without her. She was like everybody's big sister or over-protective mom. Which made what she did on the Citadel just one big guilt trip. Here she was, savior of the galaxy, while we were working for a group of terrorists. We quit then and there and found the first ship going off-world."

The red-head shook his head and rolled his eyes in disbelief though and crossed his arms indignantly. "Course we get to the Citadel and Gene's gone off already. So we figured we'd find a way to do our own thing to help her out. So first we headed to Illium." They both let out a groan and turned equal looks of embarrassment to him. "Not our best idea." the girl said blatantly.

Garrus could barely fight the smile from edging it's way into his voice. They were a lot like her. "What happened?"

The girl sat forward and threw her head back in disgrace. "Signed the WRONG bloody contract." The boy wrinkled his nose in distaste and slumped in his seat. "Ended up serving as body guards for an Asari called Nassana Dantius." The girl made an obscene gesture and punched the arm of the couch closest to her. "Woman's a fucking bitch to her employees."

The Red-Head nodded in agreement. "First of all she's paranoid as all hell. Second she hit on the two of us whenever the hell she got the chance. And Third, and perhaps the most disturbing, the bitch would literally throw us into harms way at every chance she got."

"So we disappeared and headed somewhere where contracts wouldn't matter and where we could do some real good." The girl finished with a pleased sort of nod.

Garrus would have smirked if he were human. As it was his mandibles flexed in humor and Garrus' voice took on the first note of true humor since he had received the news about Shepard's death. "So you came to Omega. Good choice."

The twin's exchanged looks and then grinned at Garrus as one."Exactly." they said together as one. "No bitchy Asari." The red one stated smartly. "And plenty of bad guys to shoot at." the blue one grinned.

"Sounds like you came to the right place. But there's one thing I've got to know." The twins sat forward on the couch and looked attentive. Garrus attempted to hide the humor in his voice and was rather glad when he succeeded for the most part. "What are your names?"

The twins stared for a moment and then broke out laughing together. And then finally the laughter subsided and the twins gave Garrus equal looks of defiant youthful abandon. "Alpha." The boy twin stated with a wry grin. "Beta." The girl said, rolling her eyes a bit.

Garrus stared at them both for a moment incredulously before he simply shook his head in wonder. "Your parents...named you Alpha and...Beta? And...you came to...Omega. You're kidding right?"

The twins laughed again and the male twin grinned sharply once more."Yeah. Sorry, we just couldn't help it. She's Heather." The girl smirked and nodded in agreement. "And he's Kenny."

Garrus' mandibles twitched in slight disbelief before he asked once more. "Did you guys give Shepard this much trouble."

The twin's grinned as one. "Nope." Kenny said gleefully. "We gave her much, much more." Heather said with pride.

...

Neross: Well...I hope you all enjoyed that. It's always a bit nerve-wracking for me to introduce characters of my own making so this chapter was a bit difficult for me to write confidently. Please let me know, as always, what you honestly think and I will try my best to better myself as a writer. However, I grow faster when I write more. And I tend to write more when I receive more reviews from you, my beloved readers. So please, let me know what you think won't you?

Until next time, keep on rocking out. :)

By the way, if it wasn't obvious before now then you guys should probably know. I have a deep-seated love affair with tag-lines. It's a sickness.


	6. A Changling to Replace the Babe

Neross: Well hello there my loyal readers. I've returned with another chapter for you all. And thankfully this one is tax deductible! ...okay that was bad...sorry...I've been working on my taxes for too long apparently. In any case I hope you all enjoy the following chapter.

Warning: This fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations.

...

The twins slipped into the workings of Garrus' crew nearly seamlessly. Oh there were less than perfect moments when the twins first joined. And more often than not Garrus had to deal with the blow back from one of their 'pranks'. But all in all the twins were well received, especially after their first field mission. Garrus had been surprised to learn that Heather was the vanguard out of the two of them, and more than capable of taking down men twice her size. Kenny on the other hand proved a knack for getting around barriers that bordered on impossible. More than once the so-called Archangel wondered if the strange, thin human hadn't simply teleported from one room to another. But, perhaps the best part about the twins was the way they so easily reminded him of Gene. They weren't serious like she was in the heat of battle. They weren't as concerned about where the unit was or if everyone was doing their job right.

But they cleaned up like she did. Sometimes the Turian vigilante would catch them doubling back on their path of destruction to make sure they'd left nothing behind. She had been thorough like that, she'd always told him it was to ensure that there wasn't anything left over that they couldn't use or that the enemy couldn't come by to pick up later. And the twins fought like she did. Heather's movements were, perhaps, a bit more fluid, but she obviously followed the same style that the commander had when she'd been alive. And Kenny was just as good a marksman, though his ability with a sniper rifle would have no doubt beat out Gene's with ease. He found that working with the pair of humans was a lot like working with Gene again.

And perhaps because of that be began to dream of her again. He heard her in his dreams, felt her presence in the moments just before waking. It was frustrating, but for the first time the grief was just a touch more mild. The sting of her death had eased, if only slightly. It was a strange thing to happen to him. And at an even stranger time. But it was not an unwelcome feeling, and a part of him was hopeful that the more he worked with the twins the more the hurt of her death would fade from his mind and his heart.

Sadly, fate had other plans. Perhaps a week and a half before he was to see her again. Before she came back to him a living, breathing, whole person and not just a figment of his memory. The twins left.

They left in the night and said no good-byes. Garrus would have been suspicious, would have felt more betrayed than he did, had they not left a letter for him. He couldn't remember a time where he'd felt so much like laughing and screaming and crying all at once.

"To our most esteemed leader and guardian angel,

following in the style of our first true role model we decided to leave without giving farewells. Mostly because there's not enough time. We've caught a ship heading out to the Citadel. Thankfully it's a bunch of no-good mercs and smugglers so we'll be able to provide you with one last bust before we depart back to the place we were born. We've gotten some news through our contacts within Cerberus. As well as some rather disappointed letters from the old crew back home. So we'll be going back to Earth for awhile. Just thought we'd let you know we had a blast taking out the scum of Omega. But sadly a force stronger than we has called us back home. We'd tell you what it is...but anybody could pick this up and read it so...you'll just have to remain in the dark. Enjoy kicking the butts of goons without us. See you when we see you.

- Heather

-Kenny

P.S. You probably shouldn't tell anyone we hung out. We've got a lousy reputation to uphold. "

So Garrus was forced to feel the emptiness left from a missing friend once more. It wasn't as painful as the wound he'd received at his parting from Shepard and the news of her death. But it was salt in a wound not fully healed...and it burned. He became withdrawn and although he opened up to his crew a bit more he never truly told them why those last few missions were so desperate. He'd even risked his life going in after the leader of Omega's Blood Pack. And all because he could no longer think straight. His waking thoughts were now consumed with the twin's departure...and with thoughts of Gene.

And perhaps that was when the rumors began to reach him. Rumors that Shepard was not quite as dead as once believed. He didn't want to believe them. After all he was sure they couldn't be true. But it didn't stop his heart from throbbing at the thought of her standing before him again. Hair wild, feet bare, a uncontrollable fire in her eyes, and reckless abandon in her smile. He knew the rumors weren't true. He KNEW it. They couldn't be true. He'd seen her die.

Yet it didn't stop him from listening with as much intent as a jealous lover. There were whispers on the winds of Omega that Shepard had been spotted on a Cerberus research facility as it was ransacked by malfunctioning security mechs. The Turian laughed the rumor off as a blatant falsehood ...because Gene would never have allied herself with terrorists if she could avoid it. Then there were the rumors that began from the mouths of traveling Quarians of the commander aiding a rescue team reclaim a young injured boy just out on Pilgrimage on Freedom's Progress, just after it had been wiped clean of human occupants. The rumor was slightly more believable, though Garrus firmly believed that it was a look alike...and not Shepard herself. But...that one at least...sounded like her.

And then he'd had no more time for rumors. Because he'd been betrayed, because he'd trusted too much and let himself become complacent. And he'd payed the price for it. He'd been naive to think that his crew were all as loyal, all as trustworthy, all as devotedly suicidal as Shepard's team had been. He learned that as he raced back up the steps to his hide-out and apartment. He'd found them dead. All of them. He'd scrawled their names into his visor...he knew them as well as he knew himself. And he'd let them die. He cursed his luck and searched the house for all of their remains...only to find that there had been two still barely clinging to life.

It had killed him to watch them die. A part of him that had stayed alight with the love of his commander had died with them. Because he had failed her. He'd failed to save her. And now? Now he'd failed to respect her memory. It was the cruelest hand fate had ever dealt to him. And it hadn't been fair. He'd scrawled Sidonis' name out in his fury, he did it again every day afterward as he sat up there waiting for the combined force of the three most powerful merc groups on Omega to finally kill him. Before they'd cut his power Garrus had heard a disturbing bit of news over the channels. Rumors of Shepard on Omega...this time with fairly accurate descriptions. He knew they had to be wrong. Knew that people had to be lying.

He was ready to die. He wasn't ready for her to be alive. He wasn't ready to acknowledge that she had abandoned him...or betrayed him. He knew that that couldn't be her. She wasn't like that. But his heart could not handle the thought of her kind and gentle guiding hand. But in those last few moments before he saw her again. Before he once again heard her voice. He began to relive every moment he'd spent with her, as if he were really there. It let him escape the pain of the moment, let him forget where he was. What had happened to him.

And then he knew he must have gone insane because he saw her. It was just a glimpse at first and he was sure he must have been wrong. Just beyond the barricade the mercs had established he saw her, her red hair flying in and out of sight as she danced just out of reach of his shot, crossing the boneyard he'd made of the bridge. And then she vanished out of sight and Garrus was allowed to shake it off as a mixture of his own delusions and his lack of sleep.

But then, she was bounding over the barricade followed by a Salarian and a crusty old man who looked as if he'd gone through a meat grinder. And again he told himself it wasn't her. He told himself it was just a look alike. Someone they had found who they thought would scare him...instead she made him want to cry out in frustration. But the so-called look alike was taking out the mercs headed for him, shooting them in the back and dealing with them as easily as if they were card-board cut-outs standing still at a range.

So Garrus decided to test this look alike. He switched to concussive rounds. She was just behind cover and not completely in scope. But Gene had taught him how to shoot, and when Shepard dedicated herself to something she did it well. He snagged the look alike on the shoulder and he saw the flicker of kinetic shielding as it struggled to stay sustained. She spun out of cover and quickly dashed for the next place to suitably cover her ass. This time she'd taken his shot's positioning into account and had moved to block him specifically. He felt himself give a tremor of excitement, the way she moved, the smell of her on the breeze, the shifting of her hair as it bounced about in that unkempt bun of hers.

It was her! She was alive! But he couldn't understand how that could be...and more than that he felt hurt. She'd been alive all this time...and she hadn't told him. Hadn't contacted him. He wondered if she had even missed him. He turned around and found her again within his apartment, and this time when he shot, he aimed for her head. He nicked her cheek and her shields shuddered and then failed altogether. She turned briefly to glare over her shoulder at him. And then she bolted up the stairs.

He grinned behind his helmet, grimly, and turned his attention once more to the bridge. She came in not a moment later. And, regretfully, she called him Archangel. So...she didn't know. He wanted to scream out but instead he rose a finger to tell her to wait as he finished taking out the last of the freelance mercs who had dared to follow her in. And then he turned to face her...his obsession, his teacher, and his deepest regret.

...

Neross: Well I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter. And I hoped you enjoyed the twin's brief cameo. If not...well...please let me know what I could have done better. In a review! Review are nice! And they're a lot like presents...which I could use...considering the fact that next week is my birthday. So...yeah. If you're nice I could totally ignore the temptation to get wasted and write instead!

So until next time. Keep on rocking out!


	7. Godfather Death Came Calling

Neross: Well my loyal readers I would normally apologize succinctly for my delay in this latest chapter but...well...I might have gotten caught up in the drunken haze surrounding my 21st birthday. So...you will just have forgive me this time. ...And most likely next time as well considering I'll be spending a week in Vegas to party it up legally at last. Until then however, here's my little gift to you.

Warning: This fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!

...

His face and neck still hurt considerably but he found he just couldn't sit still in the forward batteries any longer. He needed to stretch his legs, to breathe, and to settle the itch in-between his shoulder blades. So he asked EDI to lead him to the Normandy's new gym. He found it easily enough, just off of the new ship's cargo hold. The only problem was it was already in use. He knew who it was before he even entered the room. He could smell her sweat from the hall and he could hear her grunts of effort from just outside the door. He hesitated, still angry about being left in the dark about her revival. But when he heard her cry out in a sound of frustrated fury he found he had missed her enough to put his own anger on the back burner.

So he wandered in and was met with a wave of deja vu. A tank top and shorts, no shoes, sports bra, and wild hair. She was a picture of her past self, as reckless and free-wheeling as she had been the last time he'd caught her in the gym alone. She was tearing away at a punching bag again. Her eyes focused, angry, frustrated and filled with a self-loathing he recognized. Garrus shook his head in disbelief and felt a twinge of nostalgic joy as he recalled the last time they'd both been in the gym late at night.

He shook it off however and stepped within the confines of the gym. In an unusual move she stopped beating on the bag and turned to give him her full attention, although there was a distinct look of guilt that washed over her features the minute she recognized who had entered her tiny bit of sanctuary. It was the guilt that made him furious, although he tried not to show it. "Shepard..." he said simply in greeting stepping around her to take a look at how the gym had changed. It was bigger this time, roomier, and the ring was now floor level instead of staged upwards like a traditional human boxing ring like the old gym's was. When he remembered the way she'd smacked his face into the floor of the old one he was rather glad they'd changed it. He laid a tentative hand on the rope and smiled at the memory of when they'd fought rapidly against one another.

"...things sure have changed haven't they?" She muttered after a minute, obviously nervous and embarrassed. He gripped the rope and tried to reconstitute himself. And then he remembered the look in her eyes as she attacked the punching bag. "Not everything's changed...You're still blaming yourself."

He looked her way in time to catch the red in her cheeks fade, but the angry indignation remained. She rolled her shoulders and stretched her arms over her head, staring at him as she did. "Yeah...well...looks like that's contagious on this ship. Must be something in the water."

Garrus took the hit to his pride but leveled her with a glare, she merely rose her eyebrows in cooled interest, an unspoken question hanging in the way her body shifted from relaxed stretch to a relaxed fighting stance he recognized all too well. He remembered her spinning kick and relaxed, unsure if he really wanted to enter another fight with her so soon after his recovery. Obviously she felt the same way because already her stance softened and she turned away from him, reaching for her water bottle.

"I don't blame myself...I...have someone else for that." he told her, though he directed his sullen look to the ground, instead of to the disappointed cool features he knew she was still sporting.

"Right...I forgot. Sidonis right? It's all his fault. No suicide of YOUR ego then. No...that's just me. Because if it weren't for me you would have never taken a rocket to the face."

He growled and stalked up to her, grabbing her by the arm. "That was NOT your fault."

She stared at him as cooly as the sub-zero winds on Noveria. "Just as the murder of your squad isn't yours." His mandibles flared and he stared at her as if she had just asked him if he could dunk his head in a pile of excrement. And then he hit her. He hadn't thought about it, and immediately afterwards he felt the guilt rise up. But it had felt good too.

And when she pulled back to look at him and she was smiling, he no longer regretted his actions. She pulled back and for a second he was confused but then she grinned and it was just a bit cruel. "Wow...that totally proved you're not in denial." she told him, her tone sarcastic and snide. He snarled and rushed her, grabbing her by the collar to throw her up and over his shoulder and into the ring.

She gagged and coughed and was pushing herself up as he jumped over the rope and into the ring. He grabbed her by the shoulder, surprised at how small she was, and shoved her up against one of the support poles. She coughed again and this time saliva coated the forearm of his armor as she spat, trying desperately to keep her stomach from releasing. He pushed his face close to hers and growled out his anger in a tone that was almost animalistic. "So you know everything do you? Then tell me Shepard, did you predict that collector ship that destroyed the first Normandy? Did you know you were going to die? Did you predict THAT?"

She glared down at him and bared her teeth. "Fuck. You." she snapped and placed a foot against his chest. She kicked out at him and threw him off, tossing him back into the middle of the ring. She stalked up to him and placed her barefoot against his throat, applying just enough pressure to make breathing painful. "So then...that's what this is about. You feeling jilted because I up and died on you? Yes. Because obviously I committed suicide via Collector Vessel."

He snarled and grabbed her leg, twisting it and pulling her off of him, forcing her onto the ground. He rolled and positioned himself on-top of her, holding her arms in place with his. He glared down at her and could feel his teeth set on edge at the feel of her body beneath his. He stared her in the eye and was infuriated by the cool warmth he found there. She wasn't even intimidated by his efforts. It was the last hit to his pride that he could stand. He reared back and then furiously collided his forehead with hers.

She swore and rolled her head to the side, blood slightly evident upon the brow of her right eye. And then it began to flow forth in a steady stream. Blurry and disorientated she moaned and fought to free her arms so as to steady her now spinning world. He held her still and was slightly appalled at the glee that rushed through him at her distress. "It's always about you isn't it Shepard? Never about the people you leave behind! Because apparently without you, we're meaningless."

She let out an odd sound from the back of her throat that sounded as if it wanted to be a snarl. But it was caught up and disguised by a strange knocking in the back of her throat as her vocal cords strained. And then, without warning, he found legs pushed against his hips. He was launched backward as she pushed him off with a powerful kick. He stumbled and hit the side pole he'd previously flung her into. He let out a grunt of pain and struggled to keep himself standing as pain shot through his neck and straight to his head.

She used the time to recover, her hands shooting to her head to steady herself as she slowly drew to her feet. She rolled the discomfort of his attack out of her shoulders and arms and tipped her neck from side to side, cracking it. She stepped up to him in time for him to recover as well and glared at him even from behind the veil of blood covering her right eye. He smiled, because at least now she was taking him much more seriously.

She swiped at the blood with the back of her hand and stepped toward him, her eyes sparking dangerously. He knew the spark all too well. Nostalgic memories rushed to the front of his mind. He remembered the brief warning he had received before his last encounter with her in the ring. The lightning that had struck first in her eyes before ripping out in fury in the rush of her limbs. This was not good news.

She fell into a fighting stance he wasn't familiar with and began to circle him slightly. On edge he fell into a stance of his own and followed her movements. She danced easily from side to side, her fluidity frightening in the way it made her muscles stand on edge. She struck out first, feinting first to the right, before striking out to the left with a powerful roundhouse kick. Not fooled by the feint Garrus blocked the kick to his head and knocked her leg away. She stumbled but caught her balance and pulled back just in time to dodge the Turian's own kick. But Garrus wasn't through, lashing out with a strong punch aimed at her gut.

She blocked it and latched on to his arm, twisting it back and opening him up for a kick to his chest. He twisted and turned the strong, direct blow, into a glancing one. If not for his armor, he was sure the blow would have still packed a punch. Instead Garrus was allowed to retaliate by grabbing her behind the neck and throwing her forward. She tumbled head over heels and landed on her side. With a snarl she lashed out and twisted her legs in a strange spinning motion, catching Garrus' legs and knocking him off his feet.

She recovered faster than he did and pulled herself up and quickly on-top of him. She sat on his chest and pinned his arms to his side, glaring down at him. She smirked and the look in her eyes and the wild state of her hair reminded him too much of a picture from her youth spent as ruler of a gang of punks. He remembered the similarities between her and the twins and he nearly broke out in a cold sweat. Her voice was cruel as she growled down at him, her voice suddenly unfamiliar as it deepened and sharpened with her fury. "You ever know what it's like to suffocate to death Garrus? Oh, no? That's just me. Right. Because I died...and you lived. So obviously everything afterward is my fault." she told him, her tone frighteningly calm.

He forced the image of her dying out of his head. But she drived it in further as she leaned in and began to tell him of her death in a low voice, just a small amount above a whisper. "I went cold Garrus. It nearly broke me...the cold. I cried and begged for it all to end. So tell me. Is it fair to die and still be expected to call in with a 'hello' just because you feel abandoned? Like a dog without it's master? Pathetic. I should have trained a varren."

The cold rage hit him hard and his mandibles flared in anger. Using brute force, and ingrained fury, he rolled and forced her off of him. Catching her by the neck as she flailed in a futile effect to keep her balance. Fueled by his advance Garrus pinned one of her arms underneath her, the other he caught and pinned above her head. This time, he remembered to pin her legs with his own. Almost immediately she squirmed beneath him, attempting to gain leverage and unfortunately, his body responded. He forced down the groan of lust and instead glared down at her. "Fuck you Shepard." he snarled, his voice containing a hint of husky arousal he was ashamed to feel mixed in with his anger. "I had to learn you were alive through rumors and god damned word of mouth. So a phone call. Yeah. That would have been nice."

"Screw you, you dumb ass Turian. You dropped out of notice and adopted a god damned ALIAS. NOBODY knew where you were!" She snarled furiously jostling her body in an effort to get loose. He pushed down on her and made it clear she wasn't getting free anytime soon. He also did it to stop her from moving as the constant feel of her body against his rekindled age old instincts. The fire in her eyes reminded him of a time in his youth when he spent an evening with a young woman as ferocious as the woman beneath him now. The memory brought him to the breaking point and he lashed out. He bit down on the commander's neck hard enough to draw blood.

She let out a surprised yelp and then a hiss of pain. A familiar haze filled Garrus' mind and when she finally pulled her arm free and pushed him off he barely even acknowledged the effect. She swore aloud and then punched him in the arm. It was lighter than her earlier strikes however and he knew with an utter sort of certainty that their fight was over. He felt humiliated. To have given in to his basest instincts in such a way was a devastating affront to his pride. Any Turian woman would have sworn at him, swore sexual harassment, and stormed out.

Shepard laughed. Then she swore again and sat up, staring at the blood on her hand from the wound on her shoulder. "What is that some sort of Turian thing? Man if that's how you guys end fights I don't think I like it. Damn thing stings like a bitch."

Garrus removed the hand he had used to cover his face to stare at Shepard incredulously. For a moment he wondered if she were messing with him. But then he clearly saw the impish and amused light in her eyes. And Garrus smiled in return. Thank the millions of gods in existence for the cultural divide. Apparently biting was not as significant a romantic advance for humans as it was for Turians. But there Shepard was staring at him as if he had merely done something slightly off the norm. "Sure." he said pushing himself up and draping his arms over his knees casually. "Let's go with that and not just doing it to piss you off and amuse myself."

She laughed again and threw herself down on the mat beside him, lying back and absorbing the fight like she was absorbing energy. Garrus resisted staring at the way her shirt pulled up and exposed the flesh of her stomach. He nearly succeeded at it too. "...So how's the better half of your face?"

The turian froze and shot his commander a look, she smirked back at him and waggled her eyebrows at him humorously. He shot a grin of his own back at her. "...Just fine commander. How's that footprint on your ass?"

She sat up and stared at him with a curious and suspicious glint in her eyes. "What footprint?"

"Oh just the one I left when I kicked it." he told her with a smug little flit of his mandibles. She smiled...and smacked him in the arm.

"Next time you show up in here Garrus...you better come with a first aid kit. "

...

Neross: Well my dear readers I hope you enjoyed my latest installment and I do hope you let me know what you thought of it! Especially since this one got pretty heated. Well leave me a review letting me know how I've done so far and what you think I could improve on. For that matter just send me a review for whatever you think alright? If you do I might be inclined to work through the hangovers I'm sure to receive partying in Vegas.

Until next time, keep on rocking out!


	8. Atlanta's Unwinnable Game

Neross: Hello there my loyal readers. I apologize so much for the delay in this update but I was pretty much partying throughout the whole of march. So, sadly, I was in no state to write for you.

But I'm here now and I promise you'll be seeing regular updates once again. I promise.

Warning: This fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!

...

The pain of that night faded faster than the pain from the new scars etched across his face. The bruises he'd received disappearing the next day, but their mark burned into his memory eternally. It was a lot easier for him to focus on the ship around him after that. Easier to study Gene's new crew and their attitude's in general. The Cerberus crew was definitely a bit different from the crew of the original Normandy. This crew spent more time talking. There was a general feel of casual ease, despite the gravity of their mission and the tight schedule Shepard and Miranda kept the crew on to make sure everyone and everything was at their best. But the military restrictions that had kept the alliance personnel quiet and focused were not present on the new Normandy.

Instead the crew was friendly and at ease. Although there were times when the human members of the crew became on edge when he or the Salarian professor, Mordin, walked among them. Still, Garrus felt no true threat from the crew. Be that as it may the attitude of the new crew made the turian suspicious. He'd seen what Cerberus could do after all. The atrocities and deceptions they were capable of. But they'd also brought Shepard back...and that changed his perceptions of the group just a touch toward the favorable. Didn't stop him from keeping on his toes. He watched them in the way C-SEC had taught him to watch suspects...and he watched them the way Shepard had taught him to watch criminals who didn't know they were what they were. But the doctor he warmed up to.

As much as it was possible to warm up to the busy doctor who rarely left his lab and mostly only seemed interested in his research. But it was clear that Gene respected the doctor and found him interesting if...a tad bit too eccentric. And that was more than enough for Garrus to trust him and attempt some kind of conversation with the doctor. Of course the few conversations shared between them were a bit too strange for the Turian's liking most of the time, and he often found it hard to keep up with the sheer amount of technical and scientific jargon that came out of the Salarian's mouth half the time.

Still at least the doctor seemed as suspicious of Cerberus' true intentions as he did. In fact, it seemed that most of Shepard's crew was suspicious of the Illusive Man's true motives. The only one who wasn't worried was Miranda, but that was understandable...to a point. Miranda, despite her air of confidence and pride, seemed insecure about her own accomplishments. And having a place in Cerberus made her feel like she had a place in existence where what she did mattered. So her loyalty was at least understandable.

Yet the rest of the crew remained wary of their employer, Garrus included. And Garrus began to think that, maybe, if not for the head of this pro-human group...these people's good intentions might actually do some good. Instead of being twisted behind the dark methods and motives of the man who ran the under-ground organization. And after every mission they did the Turian became well aware of the commander's irritation.

Every good deed she did, every life she saved. They were all done in the name of Cerberus and the Illusive Man. Even on the rare occasion when she'd gain a leg-up on her employer and manage to slip information harmful to Cerberus to the Alliance...well...the Illusive Man made it clear that it did almost nothing to slow the momentum of his organization. He could see how working with someone she could not stand was grating on her. The fury at how much this one man was able to get away with in the name of bettering society ate at her every time she heard from the man who had brought her back from the dead.

But somehow Gene soldiered on despite her hatred for Cerberus and the man running it and went on saving the galaxy and building her team. Even when that meant recruiting from prisons. He remembered the grim set of her mouth as she told him to suit up and meet her and Kasumi on the bridge as they prepared to board the prison ship Purgatory. Garrus went eagerly, itching to do something, anything, other than more calibrating of the Normandy's new guns. Even if it was just a simple pay-off and pick up on the least desirable platform in the galaxy.

He was regretting that eagerness not twenty minutes later as they were pinned down by enough guards and mechs to deal with several Krogan. His irritation with the Illusive Man was hitting an all time high. Why suggest recruiting from a place where the idiot in charge is out to make a quick buck by selling the people you send in? Apparently Shepard was on a similar wave length as she fought her way through the mercenaries and droids with ruthless efficiency. At one point she took him by surprise rushing a group of mercs. She took the first out with a powerful warp of biotic power to the face and shred through the second merc's shields, armor, and flesh with a tight barrage from her assault rifle. The last one she caught by surprise, punching him hard enough in the face to make him reel before she pulled back and placed a direct shot through his gut at point-blank range. She didn't even flinch as she placed one final bullet in the back of the mercs skull, blood splatter splashing across her archon visor as well as a portion of her face. For a still moment of heartbeats it was all her team could do to keep themselves from staring openly. She wiped the blood from her face and then urged them on.

Somewhere amidst the chaos Garrus realized Gene was using the break-out to prove a point to the Illusive Man. Because as they fought through the prisoners, guards, and heavy security mechs Shepard was as she was when they had fought on the Citadel. Brutal, vengeful, and exacting as all hell. In these dark moments of battle when Gene was at her most brutal she appeared to slip back into her days spent as a gangster and punk back on Earth. The fire in her eyes was the color of lightning and that searing fire flowed forth from her in cruel effectiveness. Along the line Garrus noticed that she was the only one taking damage. She was using Kasumi and himself as point-guards. While she did the most damage, they were the ones dealing out the killing blows.

It was an insane feeling, and he wondered briefly that if Shepard was lightning, searing hot and silent, that made him the thunder following in her wake. She drove them through the prison faster than Garrus would have thought possible. If she hadn't been the one to lead them to it. And in one dark moment he pictured her shattered, beaten, and imprisoned.

It rocked him to his core and nearly made him lose his step as they ran on toward their goal. The thought of her without her fire, locked away on a prison station like the one they were systematically destroying, was more than disheartening. It was infuriatingly frightening. He imagined it would be a lot like capturing one of the many species of birds that made the presidium lakeside their nest...and ripping it's wings from it's body.

He shook the image from his mind and glared down his scope at his next target. He couldn't believe he'd allowed himself to become distracted like that in the midst of battle. He was better than that. Had been trained better than that. He snarled into his headset and took his anger at himself out on the next five mercenaries and prisoners who came into his line of sight.

"Something the matter Vakarian?" he heard Shepard ask him, her voice level and cool.

Garrus ducked behind cover just in time to miss a shot and took a breath before ducking out again to return the shot ten-fold into the forehead of the guard who had fired at him.

"Nothing Shepard. Let's just finish this up, grab Jack, and get out of here." There was no response, but he was sure he saw her grin in a smug way the next time she ran past him.

They caught up to Jack not long after that and surprisingly managed to convince her to board the Normandy peacefully enough. But Garrus knew things had been left slightly...unsettled. Gene still had the lingering light of lightning within her eyes, and although her body had clearly taken a toll he could see she was eager for more to eat away the remnants of her lingering anger and frustration. He felt the same.

So he wasn't surprised to find the Commander, a couple hours later, circling the punching bag in the gym. She dropped her stance when he entered and leveled him with a smirk he knew far too well was a lingering remnant of her past. She tapped the bag once with the lightest of punches and seemed to gauge his mood before she moved to lean against the pole of the ring.

"Don't think there's ever been a time where I've actually been glad to see you walk in here Garrus. Should we skip the usual foreplay and just jump to smacking each other around?" Her voice was filled with her own brand of smug humor and, despite the glee he was sure had sneaked up onto his face, he knew she was baiting him.

"I don't know Commander, I'd hate to ruin something that special."

Her expression widened into a grin and she easily jumped the rope that marked off the tiny square ring. "Well then, I'll just have to call you a lousy blue-faced idiot a couple times, won't I?" she mused, shedding the jacket she'd been wearing and tossing it into a corner of the room.

He laughed and jumped into the ring as well. It was much easier this time to see how much the commander's past had influenced how she fought. As she fell back into her usual fighting style he could see the way she simply let her muscles relax, instead of tense. She moved like a fish, strong fluid movements, until you struck out at her, and then in a flash her movements became as fast as the sudden appearance of a thresher maw.

Thankfully Garrus knew better than to allow himself to strike first. He fell into a stance of his own and allowed his mandibles to flash his amusement. "Any thoughts on our colorful new crew member Shepard? Or are you just collecting dangerously damaged people now?" he prodded.

Her smirk turned into something slightly proud. She knew he had caught up to her game now. And he was surprised that she managed to laugh and commit to a series of particularly dirty low kicks, aimed to either knock him off-balance or catch him in the groin. He was nervously aware of why she had picked up that particular set of moves as he barely managed to dodge each one. As she reared up to launch one last kick toward his hip he caught her leg and pulled her forward. He was impressed, and just the tiniest bit turned on, when she caught her balance by falling into him, instead of allowing herself to fall backward. She hooked one hand around his arm, and another around the back of his neck and smiled at him with a mischievous light in her eyes.

"Jack's okay. Besides...maybe I like dangerous people." she whispered the last bit and Garrus had to stop himself from choking on his own tongue. And then he felt her pull her leg away and pitch him forward, forcing him to fall onto the mat face first.

She was on him instantly, positioning her knees straight into the joints where his arms met torso. She leaned forward and wrapped one arm under his chin, the other on the back of his fringe. She simply held him there, but he was sure if she were serious about this fight she could have easily twisted his neck and snapped his spine. As it was he simply rolled over and pried her arms loose from his neck before he jumped back to his feet. "Well, at least she seems to dislike Cerberus. That's always a plus in my book Commander." he told her as his breath caught up with the rest of him.

She rolled herself back onto her feet quickly enough and actually seemed to smile in cruel joy at his comment. "You and me both Garrus. Any pin in the ass of our BELOVED employer is enough to send me skipping down the hall whistling." She spat the word 'beloved' like an oath and rolled her shoulders as she bounced on her feet and fell into her stance once more.

The Turian chuckled and followed her movements as she weaved from side to side. "Don't believe in the Cerberus slogan then Commander? Glad to hear there's no hard feelings between you and us inferior species."

He flashed his mandibles in mixed humor and surprise as she slipped in low and attempted a punch toward his chin. He caught her punch and twisted her arm, pushing her over onto the mat on her back. He pinned her there with a hand to her throat. Just as she had done to him he applied no pressure and she smiled up at him with pride at the move. "This might surprise you...but oddly enough I believe in species equality. Shocking I know." she muttered out past the hand on her throat.

He let her go and stepped back, allowing her to stand up and crack the joints in her neck back into place. She didn't return to fighting stance however, instead she simply stood and watched him with a smug sort of smirk. He grinned back at her, suddenly unsure of where he stood. "Interesting to see a human with a penchant toward body ink the way Jack is. Thought that was something that had gone out of style for you humans." he mused, relaxing his stance but not completely surrendering it. He knew her too well to think that the fight was over.

But she simply placed her hands on her hips and smiled at him from her spot in the ring. "Oh I wouldn't say completely out of style. After all it's pretty normal for criminals to portray their prison sentences and crimes on their bodies. Lets other criminals know the score. I'll have to ask Jack about the theft of a military craft, bet that story is worth hearing."

Garrus stared at his commander in pure confusion and shock for a moment. Of course that was all she needed to duck in and knock him onto his back with a sweeping kick to his feet. He landed hard and soon found a bare foot placed just under his chin, tickling the scales located there. At the curious stare still stuck on his face the red-head simply shot him a knowing smirk. "Criminal tattoos are as easy to read as Turian facial markings. You learn what they mean you're never left guessing where the guy underneath your heel came from."

Garrus shot her a look and knocked her foot away with a slightly miffed snort. "That so? How'd you wind up so knowledgeable about those particular subjects?"

To his surprise she burst out laughing and walked away from him. Confused he watched as she jumped the rope to the ring again, picked up her jacket and headed for the door to the gym. "Guess you've still got some things to learn about me." She stopped by the door and looked back at him with a smug grin. "Gonna go wash up. I think I've still got some of that barefaced bastard's blood on me."

She was gone before Garrus could stop her and ask how she knew that particular Turian slur. So instead he was left wondering just how much the Commander knew that she kept from him. He shook it off and laughed quietly to himself. She was always throwing him off.

That night he began dreaming of her again, something he hadn't done since seeing her alive again on Omega. And when he awoke, he woke up smiling to himself at the image of a Shepard with deep blue facial markings.

...

Neross: Well this chapter was fairly fun for me to write. In fact it was a bit of a relief after the fighting that went on in the last chapter. I'm not sure but there is just something innately difficult about capturing such heated emotions and trying to portray them correctly. But in any case I do hope you will let me know how I've done this time and inform me of where I need improvement and where I am exceeding.

Until next time, keep on rocking out!


	9. The Scars Worn by a God

Neross: Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. Well my dear readers I'm feeling a bit conflicted. Originally I had planned to end this fanfiction just after the suicide mission. However after playing the newest DLC my plans for the ending of this fic have changed. ...Oh don't worry. It's gonna be bitchin'. But now I'm just so excited about it that I couldn't help but leak out a little to you my loyal readers.

Warning : This fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!

...

Not everything could be fun-times and gentle sparring. Garrus knew that. But it didn't mean the sting of disappointment or irritation was any easier to bear. And despite, or perhaps because of, his feelings for the commander, when he did become irritated with her it was the most frustrating experience of his life. Gene was as stubborn as any Krogan and could be just as bullheaded. More than that when she stuck her mind to something it was very hard to convince her to change it.

Most of the time she was reasonable and not only took advise when it was offered but acted upon it when it was wise. But at other times she would take action against all counsel. And that was perhaps the worst part about it. Because whenever she failed to take counsel, it was always on something that would no doubt prove dangerous to her above all others. She would somehow find a way to take an action that would be a benefit, but would no doubt prove normally too dangerous for any one person to even attempt. Such as waking up what was most likely a highly unstable Krogan born in a tank and educated by a madman.

Garrus knew what she was going to do with the Krogan the moment he saw the crew bring the tank aboard. He knew her well enough to understand that she couldn't just leave someone sitting in a tank for an undetermined amount of time. No matter how dangerous they were. What's more, if Shepard had decided the Krogan was too dangerous to be left alive, she would have killed him long before he ever made it onto the ship. So Garrus knew she planned to wake the unstable Krogan up. And because he knew that, he also knew that she must have blown a goddamn fuse.

He waited for her just outside of the elevator down on the Normandy's third deck, overlooking the cargo bay and the gym Garrus knew all too well was connected to it. She emerged nearly half an hour after he first entered the deck. She looked apprehensive, but determined. Not exactly the best sign for convincing her to abandon her goal. She looked up at him in surprise as she stepped out of the elevator and for a moment seemed to be at a loss for words. "Garrus?" she asked at last taking another step forward so that she could make the hallway clear. "Were you headed to the gym?"

His mandibles flared briefly, unsure whether to be annoyed or simply unsurprised that the gym was where her mind instantly leapt to. He shifted his stance, and twitched his mandibles in indecision. "Actually I was waiting for you Commander. I wanted to talk to you about the Krogan we've got stashed in the hull."

She frowned and made a rather frustrated sound from the back of her throat. "Let me guess. You also think he's too dangerous to wake up."

He leveled her with a steady gaze not at all surprised to learn that he hadn't been the only one to advise her against her course of actions. He huffed in annoyance at her nonchalant attitude and squared his shoulders as he looked down at her. "And let me guess. You still plan on waking him up despite all the wise counsel of your crew?"

He noticed the twitch of her eye as her look of frustration finally turned to one of anger. "This coming from the guy who first told me it'd be a good idea to recruit a Krogan to our team a couple years ago. Gee, I wonder how I could've gotten it into my head that having one working on our side was generally a good idea."

He stared at her, surprised that she'd bring up Wrex now of all moments. His mandibles must have done a similar twitch to her eye because her anger turned to a smug look of victory. "Yeah...thought I'd forgotten that didn't you?" He glared at her and had to fight hard from not punching her straight in her smug, bullheaded, face. "We're not talking about Wrex here. We're not even talking about some regular Krogan who you might be able to reasonably talk to...on some level. We're talking about a Krogan who has been educated by a madman. He's an unknown element Shepard. For all we know that thing could wake up and decide to kill you on the spot."

Her countenance chilled and she turned her gaze to the floor. She let out a small shaky breath through her nose and then leveled Garrus with a look both pleading and determined. "I just can't bring myself to deny someone the chance to live and make decisions for themselves. I'm sorry Garrus but I'm waking him up...and that's final."

The turian felt pushed aside by the statement, his eyes widening as he realized she had a pistol tucked away underneath her shirt, most likely tucked into her belt on her back. His mandibles flared once in indecision. He knew his commander could easily take the Krogan out if she wanted to. She was armed, she was a biotic, and more than that...she was excellent at defying death. It still made it hard to let her walk away from him and down the hall. So when she was gone he growled, slammed his fist against the wall and then stormed down to the gym. If he couldn't bring himself to beat some sense into his commanding officer...then he'd beat some sense into a punching bag.

She wandered in about an hour later rubbing the back of her neck and stretching out some discomfort in it from side to side. He studied her closely, withholding his scathing judgement until he heard what had happened with the tank-bred. She looked up at him and crossed her arms over her chest, standing with her back to the gym's wall of mirrors. He could see a clear line of bruising descending from her neck and shoulder on down. It made him snarl in a mixture of frustration, fury, and just a little bit of shame. He took one final punch at the bag and then met her cool and steady gaze. "So...should I be expecting to see a body floating out the airlock or do we have a new crew-mate to watch our backs around?"

She glared at him and pushed away from the reflecting wall, the flame in her eyes dancing. "He's calling himself Grunt." she told him simply.

Garrus let out a deep growl of anger and took an angry step toward his human captain. "You're a first class idiot sometimes Shepard."

Her brow furrowed in irritation and she bared her teeth. "Something to say to me Vakarian?"

"Yeah I do!" he snapped back at her, closing the distance between them, glaring down at her, using his taller frame to try and intimidate her. It wasn't working well but it made him feel better. "You're so god-damned worried about everyone else that you forget to look after yourself. You don't have an unlimited amount of lives Shepard. You die and Cerberus might not feel so inclined to bring you back a second time."

"Well good!" she snarled up at him, her eyes flashing a suddenly much brighter flame. "I wouldn't want them to anyway! I feel sick knowing they've done it once already! And who the hell cares if I don't give a crap if I get shot so long as my crew gets through this alive? You sure as hell didn't seem to care the first time around!"

"The only reason I didn't care was because everybody made it out alive! Including you! You keep putting yourself out there like you're invincible Shepard. But you're not! We fell apart once because you died and the galaxy suffered for it! What do you think will happen if you die again? That somehow we'll struggle on together despite our differences? Somehow I really don't think so." He wasn't proud of the way he used her death as ammo against her. But like hell was he going to continue to watch her kill herself this way.

She shoved him away from her and stepped up to the punching bag, refusing to look at him as he bored holes into the back of her head. "I know my own limits." she told him weakly.

"Really Commander? Because sometimes I wonder if you do. I mean for the sake of the spirit's, take a look around you! You're working with mercenaries, criminals, and terrorists!" he took a step toward her and she gripped the punching bag and hung her head. He wanted to take it as an admission of defeat but her hands were bone white as they gripped and the bag shuddered on it's chain as her hands shook with fury.

"This isn't something I can be picky about. I don't have the luxury of leaning on old friends and allies because they won't listen, or can't be found. I have to take what I can get...and they're the best at what they do. I know I'm going to need them before this is all through. Even if...even if I normally would have said 'shove it up your ass' and gone on to find someone else to fill their shoes." She told him, her voice quiet, shaky, but so infused with stubborn intent that it only drove him on.

"Bull shit Shepard. And if you expect me to work with psychopaths then you can forget it!"

Something in her snapped as he spat out his last words and she turned faster than he'd ever seen her move. Her eyes were alive with lightning and cold fear and her wild hair stood on end for a brief moment. He had barely enough time to register he'd crossed a line before he was sent flying across the room by a pull of biotic energy. He hit the opposing wall with enough force to put a rather large dent in it. The air was forced from his lungs painfully, making him choke, and he was sure that if he hadn't been wearing his armor he would be sporting broken bones to match the bruises he knew would be forming.

By the time he'd gotten to his feet she was already long gone. He swore under his breath and limped his way out of the gym. As he went he cursed her for her bullheadedness...and he cursed himself for pushing her to the breaking point.

...

Neross: Well my dears, now we're getting to the pulp of the story aren't we? And I bet you thought this fic was just about Garrus falling in love didn't you? Nope...much more complex than that my dears. See like I said. Originally I had plans for a one-shot. But once it was clear THAT wasn't going to work out I worked out something a little more juicy. And now thanks to Arrival the ending is going to be THAT much juicer. Mmm...yeah I hope you all enjoy it.

At any rate please let me know what you all think won't you? Leave me a nice review and I'll work my hardest to update all that much quicker. And in case you're wondering? Yes...yes this is blackmail. So tell me what you honestly think and I'll be sure to work my hardest to adjust my writing to please you all the more.

Until next time, keep on rocking out!


	10. The Bird that Eats of a Titan's Liver

Neross: Have I done something wrong? Is that it? Did...did I insult you somehow my faithful readers? Is that why you refuse to leave me a review? Do you hate me? I don't understand what I did wrong. T_T

Well anyway here is the next installment, a bit more cheerful than the last cheerful I assure you.

Warning : This fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!

...

She avoided him after their fight in the gym. Not in the usual way someone would avoid another. She didn't actively turn and walk the other way when she saw him passing in the halls of the ship. She didn't bother to ignore him if he addressed her. But she never came by to talk to him or check on him as she used to. And she even avoided the gym, choosing instead to earn her daily exercise in her own quarters.

And perhaps worst of all, when they talked she had returned to the formal speech she used when they had first met. It nearly broke him and it caused him endless hours without sleep. The look of pure rage, hurt, and fear she had shown before striking him stuck in his mind. He had crossed a line with her. And for the life of him he had not known where he had crossed it.

He ran the whole event through his mind over and over, analyzing what was said, remembering each subtle hint her body language gave away. But every answer he arrived to made no sense to him. The only answer that he felt comfortable with made him nearly cold with anticipation and fear. Shepard, for all her confidence, was afraid either that she was working with psychopaths...or that she was one. Neither option sat very well with him and like his other theories it hardly made sense. But each time he came to that thought an odd twist formed deep within his gut...and sat there like a stone.

And then, rather suddenly, it seemed she was forced to either forget or forgive him because the Illusive Man had called on her to protect a human colony. And something about this mission had set a desperate look in the commander's eyes. Still when she called on him to suit up and meet Mordin and herself at the drop-ship, her eyes were filled with an echo of resentment. He ignored the pang of hurt and anger in his own veins and followed her order without comment.

There was a look of slight apprehension, near panic, in the red-head's eyes as the drop ship descended and there were clear signs that she had not been sleeping. The Turian became worried. As the ship hit the atmosphere Garrus turned to his fellow crew member and hoped Shepard would be too focused on watching the descent to bother listening in. "Mordin, any idea why the Commander looks like she's walking into hell with an active hand grenade strapped to her chest?"

The Salarian picked his head up from whatever data he'd been studying on his omnitool and leveled Garrus with a curious stare. "Nervous perhaps. Seeker swarms dangerous to humans. Could be worried that precautions will be ineffective." Seeing the way Garrus' brow furrowed the Salarian made a quick gesture with his hand and gave off the briefest hint of a smug smile. "More likely news received from Illusive Man about Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams' station on Horizon. Worried about safety of old teammate perhaps. Seems more likely under the circumstances. Also is more like the commander to worry about well-being of others before her own. Is foolhardy but commendable. "

Garrus nearly dropped his gun with a start as he interpreted the staccato speech pattern of the doctor. He quickly masked his surprise when he caught sight of Shepard turning in their direction and forced himself to adopt a look of nonchalance. And then, before he knew it, they were touching ground.

Whatever had been on the Commander's mind seemed to vanish the second her feet touched earth. Though there was no doubt that the Collector's were doing everything in their power to throw her off her game. They seemed focused on her...to the point of near obsession. And for once she was taking damage. She soldiered on through the pain, her goal clear in her mind, but it was obvious the constant barrages were slowly taking their toll.

Desperately he and Mordin attempted to relieve some of the pressure, or at the very least provide some cover fire. But at each turn they were blocked or pinned down. Somehow they made it through, no doubt due to Shepard's persistence and sheer stubborn will. But it would be foolish to think that the universe had done enough damage to the Commander for the day. Because as if the Collector's weren't bad enough the resulting reunion between her and Ashley was just adding insult to injury. And it infuriated him even to the point of snapping out in the Commander's defense.

It did no good. Ashley made her point clear. Shepard was working with villains and doing so made her just as bad as those who had brought her back to life. It was a clear slap in the face and Garrus was unsurprised when the commander was silent on the ride back up to the Normandy.

He found her later that night in the gym, staring at the punching bag as it hung still from the ceiling. As far as he could tell she had not thrown a single punch at it. That fact frightened him to his core. Mostly it frightened him because he had no idea what it meant about her. He had no way of telling if she were simply sizing the thing up before hitting it, meditating, or too lost to actually strike out at the damn thing and work out what was bothering her.

Wary of what had happened the last time he'd seen her in that particular spot he stepped lightly as he crossed the threshold into the gym. "Commander?" he asked carefully, quietly. She didn't turn to face him, didn't move save to slowly nod in acceptance. "Garrus..." she muttered absently in response. Her voice sounded hollow. He cinched his brow-plates together in worried frustration. He crossed the room and came to stand at her side. Her eyes were open but she wasn't looking at any one thing in particular. A strange quality had come over her eyes. Normally bright and full of fire, they now seemed dark and seamless...like a dark sea during a storm.

She hardly blinked and despite his presence she didn't even glance in his direction. He began to form a question in his mind when finally she spoke, her voice far away and distant. "Am I a murderer Garrus?"

The Turian was thrown by the question. It was a hard question to answer. After all she was a soldier...and as a soldier she had taken lives. More than that, as a commander she'd had to make decisions that had ended the lives of others. But there was a difference between a soldier and a murderer. A murderer had a choice to kill or walk away ... a soldier did not. He placed an awkward hand on her shoulder, unsure of the outcome. It disturbed him to find her shaking minutely. "I don't think a murderer would ever go through the lengths you do to keep people alive. You're a soldier commander...your job is to go in and clean up the messes so that the rest of the galaxy can go on like normal. Sure it's a dirty job and, while I hate agreeing with Cerberus, somebody has to be there to do the things nobody else can."

She rolled his hand off her shoulder but turned to look at him, a small spark hidden somewhere beneath the worry and fear in her eyes. "It's a lie...you know. I...I like to say I'm doing this for the good of the galaxy...and maybe I am. But most of the time when I go out there and hold back from pulling the trigger ...I'm doing it to prove that I can hold back. To prove to myself that I'm not going to suddenly snap and choose to replace the murderer at the end of my barrel by becoming one myself." The fire died and was replaced by a dark cold as she glared and swung out at the bag hanging from the ceiling.

It went flying and nearly came back to smack her head on, but she grabbed it as it flew back and held it in place. Clinging to it like someone clings to a life-raft while lost at sea. "I'm sick of being the god damned hero! I'm tired of everyone thinking I'm some kind of saint! ...Because what the hell kind of hero would rather kill someone then let them live? Half the time I spare some poor bastard's life I have to pull myself back with all I have from pulling the trigger. Hell I've killed people for no reason other than the simple fact that it would make my job easier. At least back when I worked for the alliance I could claim moral high ground...I could rationalize shooting some merc in the head because I was just there for a mission...there to get a job done in the name of good, god, and glory. But now that I'm working with Cerberus...I don't know where I stand."

Garrus felt himself relax despite the awkward situation...despite her admission. Perhaps it was because she had opened up to him at last...or perhaps it was because her worries weren't so different from his own. The Turian wasn't sure. But it made whatever he did next easier to bear. "Is that it Shepard? In that case don't you think you're being a bit foolish? After all, do you really think any of the guys you take down would feel half as guilty as you do? Besides...isn't there some woman in your race's history that's some kind of woman warrior saint? Sounds like you fit the definition fine to me."

She turned and stared at him with a wide and blank stare and a twisted sort of half-smile. "Did you really just compare me to Joan of Arc?" He grinned, whatever had been in her system at last seemed to be gone. He was glad. But now there was a new kind of light in her eyes that he didn't recognize. Like a strange mixture of lightning and blue flame the light in her eyes shifted and grew strangely dark around her pupil. Her smile slowly turned into a smug sort of smirk. "Well...glad to know someone believes in me even when he disagrees with me. I guess I should apologize for the last time we both showed up in here. After all I did slam you into a wall."

He looked at her curiously, suspicious of what she had planned. "...Forget about it Commander...I obviously crossed the line so part of the blame lies with me as well."

She placed a hand on her hip and cocked her head slightly to the side, staring at him with that same strange light in her eyes and that odd little smirk. "Hmm...you know I'm oddly reminded of a fairy tale my grandmother told me once when I was little."

He studied her in outright surprise. "Really? What was it?"

He chuckled a bit to herself and grabbed the towel she left on the floor. "Another time maybe...We'll be landing on Illium tomorrow. We should both get some rest. "

He let out a breath of irritation as he watched her head for the door of the gym. "So you're just going to tease me with whatever this story is. Is that it?"

She shot him a knowing little smile and stared him dead in the eye with that strange light still glittering in her eyes."Guess so...maybe I'm just a tease that way." And then she simply strode straight out the door.

He watched her go and felt an odd itch at the base of his spine. Somehow...he believed he'd just been played.

...

Neross: Well everyone I hope you enjoyed this last installment of our story. I would have updated sooner but...well...I'm not sure how much you guys really like what I've done so far. BECAUSE YOU DON'T TELL ME HOW I'M DOING IN THE SLIGHTEST! Am I asking for too much in asking for a review? If I am you could tell me...in a review. :)

Until next time, my faithful readers, keep on rocking out!


	11. Fairy Dust and Baba Yaga's Shadow

Neross: Well at least now I know how to motivate you all into reviewing. I just have to cry. :)

*ahem* Anyway. Thanks to your amazing reviews I was actually able to defeat a bout of writer's block this week in order to finish the newest chapter for you all. I hope you all enjoy it and I'm very thankful for all of my faithful readers who left me a nice review to keep me motivated during my mental blockage. ^_^

Warning: This Fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!

...

Garrus and the Commander did not meet again in the night for some time. For one reason or another the Commander seemed to have no new aggressions to work out. Her calm could, perhaps, be linked to the easy reunion with Liara. The two of them had always been close. Though there seemed to be nothing sexual in their relationship (despite the rumors Joker unapologetically spread amongst the new crew) it was clear that both women had a deep bond. Clearly one that couldn't be broken by death either as Liara's immediate embrace of the Commander had shown.

It shamed Garrus a bit to know that Liara so easily accepted the Commander's return where he had had so much trouble. Worse it made him feel guilty because he had let his feelings for the commander taint that reunion with his own failures. Where he had blamed her, Liara had easily accepted her. But it was hard to focus on brooding with the Commander in such a good mood. She practically flowed through the corridors so at ease was she. Although she had initially seemed disappointed that the young Asari doctor had refused to join their little adventure, it was clear that the Commander was taking it well. Of course...Garrus was sure there was more to it than that.

They had been reunited with so many from their past on Illium. From Conrad Verner to the Rachni Queen. And Gene had taken all of it with such an easy stride and such flawless handling that Garrus wasn't completely convinced that she wouldn't have made for an excellent politician. Perhaps her constant good mood was because her past finally seemed to have meshed with her present. The Turian simply couldn't tell for sure. But whatever had made her so happy Garrus was simply glad that for once the weight of the galaxy seemed to have lessened upon her shoulders.

In fact, the night they finally collided once more, Garrus caught her in an intimate moment and found himself struck by simply how much he still loved her. He'd questioned his love for her before then. He'd even thought that maybe it had been a simple crush. Until he found her staring with unbound affection at her omnitool display late at night in the Normandy's galley. Her firey eyes seemed close to tears, her lips pulled into the tiniest most nostalgic little smile, her hair a romantic tumble upon her shoulders. There was love in her eyes, somehow he just knew.

He smiled at her as he descended the short flight of stairs that led from the forward batteries and couldn't contain the soft chuckle that spilled from his lips. "That's a nice expression Commander. You should try shooting that look at Joker sometime. He might actually wind up tongue-tied for once." He mused, though the idea of her looking at anyone that way brought an uncomfortable itch to his stomach.

She turned toward him in surprise, a lingering dose of dreamy steam still swirling in her eyes. For a moment he lost his breath until she smiled at him in a lazy and amused way. His breath returned and he took a seat at the table across from her as she shut down her omnitool and turned her attention to him instead. He found he liked the way the blush of affection strayed upon her cheeks. "You're up late Garrus." she began and he waited as he saw the quick change of her smile from content to smug. "Busy ...calibrating?"

He fought back the chuckle in his throat and instead simply shook his head in amusement. "Very funny Commander. What were you reading?" She simply raised her eyebrows a bit in slight surprise when he didn't rise to her bait and leaned her cheek on her hand. "I had a talk with Samara and was suddenly reminded of the woman who raised me."

"The woman who...?" Garrus paused there was something wrong here, he knew that. He thought back to the Commander's file. She was from earth and had been orphaned at a very young age. That meant she couldn't be referring to her mother. Did that mean her foster mother then? Her file hadn't had any mention of a guardian...which was strange for a military record. The Turian cocked his head slightly and leveled her with a curious stare. Was she toying with him again?

She giggled at his confusion and gave a nonchalant wave of her hand. "I know what my file says. And I guess, technically I still am something of an orphan. But my mom's sister took me in when I was ten and raised me until I was old enough to enlist. So ...despite the fact that she's my aunt...I think of her as my mother. Samara reminds me a lot of her...strange considering they're almost nothing alike." The bold look of affection returned to the Commander's gaze and Garrus once again found it hard to breath.

More than that the Turian felt the swell of his heart as she stared at him with that pure look of love. And then she let out a tiny laugh, blinked and the lovesick look vanished from her features. He smiled anyway. "You must really love her." She nodded absently and sat up straight so as to fold her hands before her casually. "She was there for me when I needed her. She actually came back to earth for me and abandoned her research on the Citadel in order to help raise me. I gave her such a tough time and she never gave up on me despite the fact that she wasn't that much older than me herself."

Garrus smirked and leaned forward, interested in the past she was sharing with him. He was all too aware of the deja vu he felt sitting at the galley table, listening to Gene talk about her past. He enjoyed the feeling however and simply rolled with it. "So what were you reading?"

She turned a bright shade of red and shot an embarrassed hand up over her mouth. After a moment of fiercely fighting against laughter he settled and she looked back at him over the edge of her hand. "It was a letter from my Aunt that I got about a week before we touched down on Horizon. For the most part she just seems to be mad that I didn't contact her sooner and that at some point I'd have to come home so that she could kill me herself for making her worry so much."

Garrus didn't hold back his laughter then. It sounded like such a normal motherly response. Somehow he had thought that anyone who had raised Gene would have been ...well... a bit more odd. But he smiled even when she gave him a light punch in the arm and grinned. "Laugh it up Vakarian, I'm taking you and the rest of the crew with me when I do finally take that little trip home."

"I think I'd like to see that. Just how old is your aunt anyway if she's 'not that much' older than you?" he asked her, curiosity getting the better of him. Gene sat back and thought about it for a bit. He could practically see her adding up the numbers in her head. "Well...she was twenty two when she adopted me so I guess that would make her forty two now."

The surprise was dull by then but it was there. He should've known there'd be a catch in her story. "Only twelve years older than you then huh? That is impressive."

Gene shot him a look but merely shook her head and grinned. "Yeah...I guess it is. But my Aunt Maria has always done things most people would consider beyond her years. Hell she graduated Harvard with her second doctorate at nineteen. She just kind of...rushes through life, but I guess it doesn't hurt that she's some kind of genius."She smiled with pride when the surprise showed on Garrus' face all too clearly.

"Some kind huh? Are all Shepard's just born gifted or something?" he asked incredulously. Gene laughed and shook her head 'no'. She rubbed a hand through her hair and then leaned on it to stare at him. "Technically Aunt Maria isn't a Shepard. She's a St. George . But it's pretty much just her. I had to work hard to get where I am anyway. But Aunt Maria was born with a photographic memory and a little added dosage of curiosity and dedication. The only other person like that in my family is probably my Grandma Shepard. She's an artist. A pretty good one. But she's become a bit bitter in her old age. And I can count the number of times I've spent with her on one hand. "

"Not the doting sort of grandmother hm? Does it have anything to do with your parent's deaths?"

The second he asked he knew he'd made some sort of mistake, stepped on some sort of open nerve. Her eyes shot open in a mixture of fear, hurt, and something he recognized all to well from his own life...betrayal. Slowly and deliberately she stood and gave him a soft, sad sort of smile. "Yeah...probably. I'll...I'll talk to you later Garrus. Try to get some shut-eye. We're going back to Liara's tomorrow to recruit us an assassin." And with that she swept away before he could utter even the smallest sound of disagreement. He watched her go and felt a growing suspicion grow at the base of his spine.

There was something about the way she acted that reminded him all too much of the night she had used her biotics to throw him into a wall. He had no idea why...but the fear in her eyes had seemed the same. He let out a heavy sigh and did as ordered and got some sleep. But that night his dreams were invaded by her loving expression and his longing to see such a face reserved for him and him alone. And somewhere close to morning he dreamt of her lying beside him, wrapped in his arms, for the first time since Omega.

...

Neross: Well I hope you all enjoyed that. And remember if you didn't you could always tell me why you didn't and I will do my best to correct the problem. ^_^ I work much faster (and work better) when I receive some written encouragement/ constructive criticism from my readers. So leave me a review and let me know how I'm doing won't you? Don't make me cry and beg again! Becuase I swear...I'll do it. I'll break down and sob and scream and pout like a three-year-old throwing a tantrum...and then I'll go play Portal 2 and leave you all hanging...FOR MONTHS. So do yourselves a favor...AND LEAVE ME A REVIEW! :)

P.S. : For those of you who read this shortly after I first posted it. I am SO SORRY. FFN's document manager apparantly took issue with Shepard's Aunt's name for some reason and would literally wipe it from the document every time I typed it out. I don't know why...strange sort of glitch I guess. But I've fixed it now and I hope you all can forgive me for not noticing it earlier. Although I swear it was there when I uploaded the document soo...technically not my fault.

Until next time, keep on rocking out!


	12. Ms Fox and Her Suitors

Neross: HA HA! Take THAT writer's block! I beat you! You thought you had me this week! BUT I PREVAILED! HA! HA HA HA HAH! *ahem* Um...sorry. Here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. Please remember that it is much easier for me to defeat writer's block and update faster when you let me know how I'm doing. For those of you who left me a review...Thank you! I appreciate it very much. I'd also like to wish a Happy Mother's Day to those of you who celebrate it ( I hope you appreciate that I'm busy posting this instead of spending time with my own mother ) and for those of you who don't celebrate Mother's Day well...HAPPY SUNDAY! :D

Warning: This Fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!

Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to my mother...who first introduced me to romance novels and their cheesy wonderful glory.

...

Garrus had never before experienced jealousy when it came to a woman he desired. Yet it was all too clear to him what the stab of pain and the searing flame that bloomed in the center of his chest was. And it was even clearer to him why it burst forth in the first place.

For the longest time he had considered the gym and it's boxing ring to be their sacred space. The place where he and Shepard could meet alone in the night and make each other stronger by working through their pain. Every distinct moment that defined what he loved about her took place in that gym. So he was not only angry to see that place invaded by someone new...he trembled with pure unadulterated envy to see her there with another man.

Thane, it would have been Thane. That Assassin with the quick and witty tongue and the romantic charm of some tragic hero out of some silly romance novel. And he was there locked in a strange combative dance with the Commander. Worst of all Gene was smiling, obviously enjoying herself. It felt like a betrayal. He scowled despite himself and stepped hesitantly into the room. "Your form is quite good Commander. The Alliance trained you excellently." The drell was saying, his back to the Turian glaring a hole into his back.

Shepard smirked at him, shot a look toward Garrus and then had the audacity to look pleased with herself. "Well...they helped." and then struck out with a series of moves that Garrus was fiercely familiar with. It was a set of Turian maneuvers that he'd used on her. The sudden change in style, and the strange fluidity that came from their obvious practice and adaptation caught the drell off guard and soon had him pinned on the floor, her knee to his throat.

It was almost enough to see the smug look of pride on her face as she stood as a conquering warrior over the seasoned assassin. But it wasn't enough to quell the sting of jealousy that had grown within his spine. "That was...surprising. I suppose you learned that from Garrus?"

Garrus gritted his teeth and stepped up to the rope of the ring, his eyes flaring with his envy. "If she did then she's an awful quick study." Gene seemed to catch the tone in his voice as she shot a glance straight at him and stared at him with a strange sort of curiosity. He stared back at her with a look as impassive as he could manage. "Shepard, if you don't mind...I would very much prefer to get back onto my feet."

The human shot her eyes downward once more and seemed surprise to find the Drell there, as if she had completely forgotten his presence. That brought a superior sort of glee to Garrus' features. Gene quickly removed herself from atop of Thane and came to stand by the rope across from her Turian weapon's expert. The assassin easily, calmly, and serenely pulled himself to his feet, brushed himself off and leveled both by the rope with an inquisitive stare. "Where did you learn such maneuvers then Commander if not from Garrus?" The Turian's mandible twitched in irritation at the Drell's voice and his own despicable curiosity. He forced a smile when a flustered Gene looked to him for support, but his eyes were filled with his malicious glee at her discomfort. "Yes Commander. I'd love to hear where you learned that Turian hand-to-hand. Seemed like that had been practiced."

The Commander shot him a glare but it was weaker than her normal genre of intimidating stares. Instead she seemed more embarrassed than anything else, her cheeks turning a light shade of red. "I...I asked EDI to let me review the Normandy's security tapes so that I could learn from the rest of the crew's training sessions and see who needed some more instruction." she finally admitted through gritted teeth.

Garrus chuckled before his foul mood could ruin the silliness of the Commander's statement and grinned at her. "I never knew you were a peeping tom Shepard. Maybe I should watch myself when I'm in the shower too." She blushed a brighter shade and let out a sound of irritation. "I only looked at vids of the gym you perv. I'm not going to risk the trust of my crew by invading their privacy. I felt bad enough asking for the gym surveillance. I had to turn the sound off and tell myself it was an instructional video in order to watch the damn thing at all."

Garrus fought back from laughing any harder as the red in Shepard's face simply continued to grow. She looked so flustered and awfully feminine. It was rare for her to look that way. It figures it'd take a blurry line of direct command with no supervision and her own curiosity to bring that out in her. "Take it easy Shepard you look like you're about to burst a blood vessel."

She shut her mouth and stared at him indignantly, her shoulders shaking with ridiculous fury. Then came a soft chuckle from behind them both and each turned to see Thane smiling at them both with a knowing sort of smugness. "Forgive me. It's just that you two seem so close I feel as if I am intruding."

Gene and Garrus both exchanged identical looks of surprised embarrassment. It was, however, Gene who broke the spell. "Do we?" she asked simply before smiling a bit sweetly, a familiar and strange light gleaming in the depths of her lightning blue eyes. "I suppose it's because I trust him."

Garrus felt his grim, envious, and mischievous glee spring to life once more as he saw the Drell deflate just the tiniest bit. "Yes well...it shows. If you excuse me Commander...I think I'll leave you two alone. I've had quite enough excitement for one day." And then with the smoothest of movements the Drell hopped the rope barrier and strode with as much dignity as was plausible through the gym's door.

Both Gene and Garrus watched him go with some trepidation. As the door shut behind him the Turian and human turned to look at each other, each staring a bit more coldly than they had before the assassin had left. "You two looked as if you were having a good time." Garrus grumbled after a fair moment of silence.

Shepard nodded absently but seemed distracted, "I was curious about his hand to hand combat skills after seeing him take down Nasana. To be honest I don't think I could handle him on my own if I relied solely on my unarmed combat skills. I'm just too much of a brawler and he's...well...he's so damned precise that it pisses me off. "she let out an indignant huff of air and then turned toward Garrus with a wicked sort of smile. "Personally I prefer sparring with you."

The Turian's mandibles twitched as his heart skipped a beat and forced him to simply stare blankly at the woman grinning at him. And then at last Garrus chuckled and leveled the Commander with something of a smug smile of his own. "Hey, you never did tell me that story you said I had reminded you of."

Gene flinched and then laughed and shook her head. "I suppose I did leave you hanging didn't I? Well...maybe the next time we're alone and have some time to spare. " At the annoyed grumble from the Turian Shepard merely laughed before she smirked and punched him lightly in the arm. And then she kissed him on the cheek and knocked all feeling out of his body.

It was soft, feather light, and as brief as a brush of wind, but it rocked him to his core all the same. She laughed it off tapped him on the shoulder and hopped over the rope before she quickly left the room with only a quick, wicked, little smile shot back at him. He was sure she had done it to throw him off and to tide him over until she finally chose to told him that story she held over his head like a carrot on a stick. After he'd gone back to his room he found himself absently touching the spot where her lips had so briefly slid across the edge of his unscarred mandible.

Slowly he smiled to himself and let out a long, low breath. "Damn it Shepard...you always knock me off my feet."

...

Neross: Sooo...how 'bout them *insert local sports team here*? ...okay okay so I went and teased you guys this time...if you review I'm sure you'll get to some much steamier events faster. :)

Or if you feel I've crossed a line or messed up ...why don't you tell me about it. IN A REVIEW! Please? Come on I feed off of reviews! If you don't feed me I might drop dead of starvation and then where would we all be?

Until next time readers, keep on rocking out!


	13. Medusa's Immortal Love

Neross: Hoo boy. Alright my faithful readers I'm going to have to be honest with you about this upcoming chapter. It made me frightfully nervous. In fact I'm terribly scarred this chapter might ruin the enjoyment some of you get out of reading this story. And it's for that reason that you must, absolutely MUST, tell me what you think at the end of this chapter. I want to thank those of you who have given me your honest opinions so far and I beg you to continue. I also encourage you all to check my profile often for updates and the answers to many questions you may have.

Warning: This Fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!

Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to my father who taught me the most important lesson any person can learn.

...

The next time the two of them had a moment alone was nearly a full week after their close shave aboard the collector vessel. He had expected to see her before that. Expected to find her in the gym beating away at the bag the night after. But she wasn't there when he made time to visit the gym himself. She'd already been and gone, the scent of her sweat still sticking to the air like some sort of exotic perfume.

They missed each other the rest of the week as well, both either too busy or distracted to do more than offer a brief hello. It wasn't until they were a day out of reaching Illium when they finally managed to meet again. And that meeting in particular scared Garrus to his core. He didn't catch her in the gym, or even in the galley that night. Instead he caught her as she stumbled out of the women's bathroom on the crew deck.

Normally the Commander perferred to use her own private quarters to...see to her personal business. So it was a surprise to see her stumbling out of the automatic door, her face as pale as Novarian snow...her eyes wide and nearly neon blue with some strange cocktail mix of fear, fury, sorrow, and disgust. Sweat rolled off of her in bullets, yet she shivered as if she were cold and there were clear red tracks that trailed from her eyes down her cheeks in tell-tale rivulets. She had her hand clasped over her mouth, as if she were about to be sick and a datapad clutched in the other.

He honestly thought something had caused her to become deathly ill. "Commander?" he asked her, voice sharp with his worry. She took a wobbly step forward only to fall against the opposite wall her limbs shaking worse than they had after her battle with the Reaper-Saren. She let out a sick sort of choking sound and cinched her eyes close fighting tears that spilled forth anyway. More concerned than ever Garrus hurried to her side and hesitantly laid a gentle hand on her obviously shaking shoulders. "Shepard?" he hissed, fear studding his words.

She grabbed him on instinct and threw him to the floor, twisting his arm painfully in a movement he hadn't even seen. She stared at him with wide fearful eyes that didn't seem to look at him so much as THROUGH him. And then she collapsed on top of him, her body shaking in uncontrolled spasms of deep-seated fear. He'd never seen her so afraid...he'd never seen anyone so afraid. Not when Liara had first offered to connect their minds, not when she was faced with the decision to let Kaiden stay with the bomb and allow him to die, not when she faced a thresher maw for the first time, and not even when she'd entered that last desperate fight against Saren. Never had he seen her consumed with fear as she was now.

His eyes shot to the datapad she'd nearly cracked in her death-hold grip. Gently, slowly, he eased it from her hands and brought it up to read.

"Hey there kiddo, heard you were in with Cerberus now. Somebody on the outside owed me a favor so I thought I'd send you a little 'hello'. They're planning on moving me again soon. Guess that's what I get for making sure my little niche at the top stays in tact. Some people just don't understand how the universe works. But it's clear you do. My little girl...all grown up and as dangerous as I ever was. Hell even more so from what I hear. I may be a clinical genius but it's not like I can throw a person across the room just by thinking about it. Some of the biotic inmates tend to think that gives them an edge over me. You wouldn't believe the number of times I've proved them wrong so far. (47 by last count). Sounds like you're doing pretty good though for a dead woman. Makes me prouder every day to say I'm a Shepard. I know you won't bother to write me back...as if you could...so just know that I'm doing fine. I'm still as wild and crafty a fox as I ever was. There are times when I wish that had rubbed off on you. Oh you got some of it I'm sure...but not enough. You're too loud and too brash and since it's already killed you once I'd think you'd learn your lesson but it's clear you haven't. Get your act together kid and stop thinking with that bleeding heart of yours...it always was your biggest weakness. But I guess you wouldn't be your father's daughter if you didn't take after him at least a little. Guess there's something to genetics after all. Speaking of which...the old lady came to visit me for the first time not long after you died. You should have seen the look on her face kiddo! She just stared at me for the longest time until she finally broke down and told me that as far as she was concerned your death meant the death of her entire family. She got on her high horse and told me that if I didn't have the courtesy to die before she did then she'd find someway to make it happen...I really think she meant it too. Strange really. I'd always thought I'd gotten my blood-thirst from my father's side. Still fun to find out I can be surprised even at my old age. Well kiddo I guess this is it. I just hope you know how much I really do love you...you really are the best daughter a woman could hope to have. I'm just sorry you weren't mine from the start. - Leda Shepard ADX Florence Penitentiary , Earth"

Garrus re-read the letter twice before he finally set the datapad aside. By that time Shepard's muscles had stopped their freak spasms , but she hadn't stopped shaking. And her eyes still held that wide frightened look of an animal that's about to be put out of it's misery. In a slow and very careful way he pulled himself up and pulled her off of him, she still wasn't looking at him, her eyes too unfocused and glazed. Whoever 'Leda Shepard' was, it was clear that she had done some severe damage to the woman he now held. With an oath the Turian gripped his commander by her shoulders and squeezed lightly. "Shepard? Gene? Can you hear me? It's 's nobody here but me...and I'm not about to hurt you."

She shuddered, her whole spine shooting ram-rod straight as something sparked in the recesses of her eyes. Then her shoulders slowly relaxed and she clenched her eyes shut a last pair of furious tears streaking out past her obvious resistance. When she opened her eyes again she was angry, lightning cracking fiercely. She pulled Garrus off of herself and stood before she stalked over to the datapad...and promptly smashed it to pieces with the heel of her boot. She stood for several minutes, breathing heavily, before at last she looked at Garrus over her shoulder her countenance as dark as the vast emptiness that surrounded the Normandy. "I'm sorry you had to see that." she told him, her voice blunt and filled with poison. "And thank you...for helping me snap out of it. "

Garrus took a moment to stand, brushing himself off as he did, eyeing her as carefully as he might a rabid varren. "You don't sound all that grateful Shepard. Sounds more like you'd rather shoot me." She winced and then swore heatedly. She turned to face him, her face regretful and contrite, "I'm sorry Garrus...I just...god I can't stand that that woman can still affect me so much after all these years." She looked as if she wanted to punch a hole in the wall but instead simply clenched her hands at her side and visibly pushed the impulse down. "My aunt...in case you hadn't guessed. My father's older sister."

Garrus folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall, easing the dull throb of pain in his shoulder from when she had thrown him. "Not the aunt that raised you. Another one?"

She stilled and took a breath. "Well...not my aunt Maria at any rate...but ...HER...she did attempt to raise me from the time my parents died until I was seven. It was a normal childhood I guess...until the truth came out and she was finally forced to pay for her crimes."

Garrus let out a low rumble of understanding disapproval. "I did notice the postmark. What exactly WERE her crimes?"

Shepard closed her eyes and seemed to fight off the furious shaking of her shoulders. "She killed...a lot of people...including her brother and his wife. My parents. By last count her list of vicitms was somewhere close to fifty. She apparently started off low-key. She killed a lot of homeless, gang members, she even killed a couple of low-key mob members. But after my parents I guess she decided she was tired of that. While I was off in school or at day care...she was off killing high-profile lawyers, politicians, and even alliance officers on leave or in retirement. She'd sneak into their homes, steal their secrets, then lure them away at night...alone...to kill them in the park she used to take me to to play. And I never knew. Not until they came one night and arrested her."

By the end of her story she was staring at him with condemnation in her eyes. Not for him...but for herself. And yet he still didn't quite understand her fear. True that sort of thing could ruin a child for life...but Gene? She was stronger than that...no...he was sure there was more. He pushed off from the wall and took a step toward her, his gaze softening sympathetically as he gazed at her tear-stained and defiant face. "She never hurt you did she? Why are you so afraid of her?"

Gene shot him a furious look that spoke of cold flame her face proud and defiant. "I am not afraid of that woman! I have never been afraid of her! I hate her! I LOATHE her! But I have never been afraid of her!" she spat through clenched teeth. And then the fire died down to embers and she stared at him with tired eyes. "I'm afraid that...I'm afraid that I'll become her. Afraid that somehow...someway...I'm like the woman who killed my parents and all those other people. That cold-hearted woman who turned to me as she was being hauled away and smiled and told me that I was just like her. And god sometimes I think I am." Her last sentence seemed to catch in her throat and she clasped a hand over her mouth nearly in time to cut it off as she slumped against the wall closest to her. "All the people I've killed. All the people who have died because of me...am I really so much better than her?"

He wanted to hug her. He wanted to stroke her head and tell her all the gentle words in his vocabulary to make that fragile tone in her voice vanish altogether. But he could not think of one. Instead he let out a huff of irritation and slammed his arm over her head, shocking her into staring up at him. "Didn't we go over this already Shepard? You're a soldier...you kill the bad guys so the rest of the galaxy can go on spinning. And Damned if there's not a person I've ever met who hasn't saved more lives than you. So...stop fishing for compliments will ya?" he smiled at her and waited for the slap...the biotic push. But it never came...instead the warm sound of her laughter rolled over him and he was gifted with her bright smile.

"...I owe you a drink Garrus. Thanks." She told him softly.

...

Neross: *lets out a deep breath* Okay. So please...please, please, PLEASE let me know what you guys think of this chapter because it's been hell on my nerves. Also it was very difficult for me to write this and give it some sort of justification in my original plot notes sooo yeah...very important that you guys leave a review this week.

Until next time, keep on rocking out.


	14. The Sultan's Storyteller

Neross: Alright so anything I try to say about the last chapter and the wonderful support I got just comes out sounding as if I did what I did on purpose to get compliments...which would be horrible and completely false soo...I'm just going to shut up and get on to good stuff.

Warning: This Fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!

Dedication : This chapter is dedicated to my sister who endlessly puts HORRIBLE ideas into my head. ...and by horrible I mean HORRIBLY WONDERFUL. *insert smug evil smile here*

...

He didn't meet her for awhile...and for once it had nothing to do with something she had done...and all to do with him. He'd thought the matter of Sidonis had been settled. The turian Judas was either dead...or long out of his reach. But that all changed the second he got a frightening familiar letter through an encoded link.

"Garrus,

Heard what happened on Omega after we jumped ship. Wish we'd been there to take out some of the bastards that did them in. But...since we didn't get the chance...we thought we could at least give you somebody's head on a stick. Sidonis is alive. The bastard's on the Citadel but we can't say where without giving ourselves away. Check out a guy called 'Fade' apparently he helps guys like Sidonis 'disappear'. Check with C-SEC. We're sure they've got a few leads...you can't say we don't give back. Oh! And if the undead Lady you call 'boss' asks? You didn't get this from us...she'd kill us.

-Hansel

-Gretel

P.S. - If you don't get the joke then we suggest...that you're an idiot. "

The message made him choke on his breakfast and he had to fight back the impulse to let out a crazed laugh of mixed anger and amusement. The twins were still alive apparently. And were still as disruptive as they were amusing. He wondered, briefly, how they'd gotten the information. He decided he'd rather stay ignorant. He shouldered past the dark amusement that came from hearing from the twins after an era of silence and instead focused on the opportunity they had provided him with.

Sidonis was alive. The man who had betrayed him. The man who had ruined everything good he had built through his grief. He didn't question the rage that boiled within him. He let it consume him. And since Shepard had decided to leave him behind as she dealt with Miranda's family problems she wasn't there to stem the tide of fury that consumed him. So he stewed in his anger, his hatred all but consuming him. He plotted and designed Sidonis' death hundred of times in his mind and he grew impatient to see it realized.

When Shepard finally came to see him she was smiling a kind of wistful smile that he knew meant she had something to share...for once he didn't want to hear what it was. He saw the smile slip away as she took in his obvious agitation. The conversation that followed was short and sweet but it should have been obvious to him that she had no intention of letting him go through with his plans. The questions, the subtle downturn of her lips, the ice that formed in her eyes. He should have known. But he ignored the signs and urged her to just do as he asked. To allow him to lead the way for once.

And she let him. She said nothing to stop him. She even pulled the first shot on the krogan guards that Fade's lackey attempted to sic on them. But her lack of action pulled at him. As if her silence...her acquiescence was condemnation enough. It didn't dawn on him that she might stop him until she reached out and prevented him from shooting Harkin. And even then she stepped back and let him take out his frustration on her. He snarled and defamed her for forcing him to spare Harkin and she, damn her, was as calm and reasonable as his mother had been as a kid when he knew he'd screwed up.

It only made him angrier. But still she seemed to abide by what he wanted. She let him run off and get into position and had even called Sidonis over as they had planned. But that was where her obvious acceptance ended. When the time came for her to move aside so he could take the shot she made the bastard stay. She blocked Garrus at every turn and at every moment her calm and reasonable voice speared through him and desperately shattered his resolve.

She'd ruined him. His anger lingered, it sneaked under his skin and boiled. It made him itch and wish he could just tear off his plates and skin. She tried to comfort him...to say something to ease the disappointment, rage, and despair that twisted within him. He said something of some sort of comfort and was glad when she let it drop. He felt as if he'd let her down again. And he was ashamed that he'd let himself get so caught up in revenge that he'd throw away everything she'd taught him.

So he was thankful when she gave him a couple of days to cool down and recover from their expedition on the citadel. While he waited for her to approach him he looked into what had happened to Harkin and Sidonis after they'd finished with them. Harkin was in custody and properly awaiting to pay for his crimes. And to his surprise...Sidonis turned himself in. The citadel didn't even have jurisdiction on Omega. He needn't have gone and admitted to what he'd done. But he'd done it.

Garrus smiled to the data-screen that told him this and gave an odd snort of amusement. It seemed he'd passed on some good to his crew after all. And if he'd done that...then he knew he hadn't let her down as much as he'd thought. So he was feeling a great deal more like himself when she finally came to see how he was doing. There was some apprehension in her steps as she joined him in the forward batteries. But her smile was confident ... as if she knew he'd be himself again. He admitted to himself that she probably knew more about him then he might like.

He didn't know why he told her that story about the scout he'd shared that night of passion with so long ago. Somehow he felt he was getting back at her for interfering...and for not telling him that story of her own. But he must have triggered something in her...stepped on some sort of land-mine...because that strange light shone in her eyes again as he finished his little bout of bragging. That strange light so much like melted lightning that sparked warning bells in his head as well as his heart.

And she flirted with him, her voice easy and defiant...and with a massive amount of effort he joked back...hoping that she was just testing him again...messing with him. He felt that he could take that...accept that easier than if she really were proposing a late night tumble. And although an agreement was reached between them about it he was still so sure that she had been playing a joke on him that he forgot about that conversation and went on with his life as normal.

Until he ran into her in the gym two nights later, her hair set loose, her feet bare, a pair of shorts and her loose tank top. But she wasn't hitting the punching bag when he came in...in fact she was doing something he'd never seen her do before. She was standing in the middle of the ring, her hair standing on end, as she reached out with her biotic aura like an insect might reach out with an antennae. Garrus had never caught the commander when she worked on her biotic abilities. It seemed to be the one area where she was weak. He'd seen her in action out in the field, she preferred relying on the skills she'd learned as a merc and had honed during her N7 training. Hacking, overloading systems, overpowering her enemies with assault rifle charges and nearly impenetrable shields. But the most she could do with her biotics...the most she ever used her biotics for...was to throw them into the open and out of cover. He'd experienced it once himself and knew that she could be capable of more...but it was clear she was uncomfortable using that particular set of talents. Somehow he expected it had something to do with her late exposure to element zero. He also knew that she grew frustrated around teammates who had such an easier time harnessing their own latent biotic abilities.

He knew she'd been talking to Samara about some more training to help her grow more comfortable with her abilities...but he'd never imagined that she'd work so hard at it. She was already more than effective in battle...he was a little afraid to see what she might be like if she got any better at handling this weak aspect of herself. As he watched her, too enraptured to imagine ruining her concentration, he noticed a thin tendril of rippling air stretch out toward him. The misplaced aura tendril wrapped gently around his wrist and the Turian was stunned to see Shepard shudder as a smile breached through to stretch across her face. The aura vanished almost at once and Gene rolled out her shoulders, her exhaustion evident as she turned and smiled eagerly at the man watching her.

"Well...that was different." she muttered, her voice a bit breathless as she took a nearly shaky step toward him. She stopped and gave the tiniest frown at her toes, as if disapproving of the way they so clearly showed her exhaustion. Garrus laughed and hopped the ring to join her in it. "You're telling me. Usually I find you kicking the crap out of something and ready for more...not meditating and exhausted. Was that an exercise Samara suggested?" he asked her as she gave him a wicked sort of smirk.

"Yeah. She's been criticizing my precision so she told me to work on it. She also told me that if I actually managed to fine-tune this crap she'd teach me something good. Not quite sure what it is yet but I'm hoping it's impressive and effective enough to be worth all these ridiculous concentration exercises. Do you know how hard it is to concentrate on just touching something with your mind when you can't stop thinking about something else?" she asked him, placing a hand on her hip and sending him that smug and sinister sort of smirk that told him she was up to something.

He chuckled and gently pushed her on the shoulder, sending her sprawling onto the floor of the mat. "No. Is it as hard as trying to calibrate somebody's brand new thanax canons when said somebody keeps popping in to ask how the calibrations are coming?" he angled a smirk of his own and found it rather appealing to be able to look at her sprawled out on the floor. She laughed at his jibe but otherwise seemed too worn out to really make a move toward even a gentle sparring session. Instead she just gazed up at him with that tiny, wicked smirk...and that odd melted fire in her eyes.

He felt a lump grow in his throat and the blood begin to roar in his veins. "I think I'd like to tell you that story now." she said after a moment, she sat up and tilted her head up at him until he felt compelled to sit down on the mat as well. He leaned back against the nearest pole the ring had to offer and then cautiously smiled at her. "Really? No pulling my chain? No distracting me and running off? No good-natured rubbing or teasing...just like that you're going to tell me."

She snickered at his choice of words but nodded. "Yep...just like that." The Turian rose a suspicious brow-plate but at last nodded, "All right then...let's hear it."

Gene chuckled at his reaction and then leveled him with an easy smile as she began her tale. " Once upon a time there was a little Girl whose Father and mother were dead; and she became so poor that she had no roof to shelter herself under, and no bed to sleep in; and at last she had nothing left but the clothes on her back, and a loaf of bread in her hand. But she was a good, pious little girl, and when she found herself forsaken by all the world, she went out into the fields trusting in God. Soon after she met a poor Man who asked for her bread because he was so hungry. So she gave him her loaf of bread, blessed him, and walked further on. Next she met a little boy who cried and told her that his head was cold. So she gave him her bonnet and walked on. And every where the little girl went she came to people who were as desperate or more-so than she who asked for her aid. So she gave away all she owned till she was left with only her petticoats. By this time it was growing dark and the little girl had entered the forest where she met a Maiden who begged for something and so the little girl gave up her petticoat. And although she was naked she thought that in the dark no one would see her and that giving away all her clothing was not so bad. And now that she had nothing to cover her she looked to the sky and down fell many stars at her feet that magically took the form of silver dollars and a beautiful petticoat. She collected all the star-money and became very rich...and one day a very nice knight came and saved her from herself and married her so that she would never have to roam the forests naked again."

Gene laughed at the end of her story and shook her head as she shot Garrus a mischievous grin. "Of course it wasn't until I got older that I learned that my grandmother had tacked on that last bit about the knight in order to embarrass my aunt Maria and her fiance'. Shame really...because I'd always liked the idea of a knight chasing after the little girl with all of her clothes under his arm, tirelessly attempting to get her to wear them as she kept handing them off to strangers." She laughed again and Garrus couldn't help but laugh with her until he noticed that she had pulled her knee up and was staring at him with blatant affection etched into her soft smile. His breath caught in his throat as he recognized her expression from the night they had discussed the woman who'd raised her. Their earlier conversation came sharply to mind and he felt his heart thud painfully in his chest.

She wasn't joking with him. She was teasing him sure...but there was no more effortless, tension-free, child-like playfulness in the way she pulled at his heart. Before she'd done it without intention...without knowing. Now...now she was doing it intentionally. He caught the briefest scent of some sot of chemical change just under her skin. He was sure she wasn't aware of it...but he could smell a new heady aroma that had effortlessly blended itself in with her own natural smell. It made his mandibles flare briefly in appreciation as they simply sat studying each other. He suddenly regretted sitting across from her instead of beside her.

And then he felt a pull, like someone had suddenly wrapped a rope around his shoulders and yanked him forward with it. He let out a rather surprised grunt as he fell forward ungracefully onto his side beside Gene's left arm. He looked up to find her looking amused, mischievous, and not at all apologetic. "Sorry...meant for that to be smoother. Guess I still need practice."She laughed, low and smooth...a sound that sent warmth pooling in Garrus' stomach, amongst other places; and she leaned forward and promptly laid a kiss just below his eye. Her hair trailed over him like a curtain and he was surprised at how soft and cool it felt against the tough skin of his neck and the plates of his fringe. He let out a low breath on a short hiss and placed a steadying hand upon her knee.

"Gene wh-?" he whispered, afraid that if he spoke he might wake up in his cot to find that this had all been a dream.

"Shut up Vakarian." she growled, amusement ruining any intimidation she had been attempting as she gripped the back of his neck and turned her head just the smallest bit so she could nibble lightly at the edges of his unmarred mandible. He let out a low growl of his own and clasped his free hand around her hip glaring down through her curtain of red hair as it trailed across his face. "Is that an order Commander?"

She laughed that low sweet laugh again and wrapped her hand around the one he'd placed on her hip, squeezing it slightly in an encouraging way. "You're still talking ..." she muttered against him, her lips tickling up pin-pricks of flame at the underside of his jaw. "...But ...mmm...maybe. I haven't quite decided yet."

He laughed but he felt an instant of nerves wrack him. She felt so soft...he had no clue she could feel so soft. It was frightening...he felt sure he could rip her open with barely any effort. More than that...he could feel the gentle, tired ripple of her muscles. She was exhausted, weak, ...and awakening instincts in him that were as primal and violent as they were wonderful and natural. He wanted her...spirits how he wanted her. But at the feel of the softness of her against him he was suddenly too aware of how easily he could hurt her. And quickly, all too quickly, her soft and tender bites, her laughing and brilliant kisses, were wiping all coherent thought from his mind. "Shepard...damn it...Shepard stop."

Her hands stilled at once, but didn't leave him and when she pulled away there was no hurt, no anger in her expression...only a question. He was thankful beyond words for that. "Commander I..." he began, at a loss for words. She studied him for a moment and then smiled that same unabashed affectionate smile and gently shook her head with a quiet laugh. "Well now you've gone and called me 'Commander'. That's much too formal..." she gave a semi-dramatic sigh and shot him pout, mischief gleaming in her eyes. "I suppose we'll just have to stop here for now." She laughed again as she caught the relief in his eyes and pulled her hair back behind ear as she stared down at him. "Such a shame..." she mused showing him that easy smile he was so used to.

He chuckled and took her hand, placing a gentle bite at the inside of her wrist. He felt a swell of pure male pride at the increased pulse he found there and the disarmed look that crossed her face and softened her features. "You're telling me." he told her wrist with a purr.

...

Neross: *huge grin of satisfaction* You want to review now yes? Because this was worth a thirteen chapter wait wasn't it? If you didn't think it was you could tell me why. I'm open to ideas on how to make this bit of fiction give off more steam.

Until next time my wonderful readers, keep on rocking out!


	15. Eris on Valhalla

Neross: Alright. So turns out feeling sick is a great way to pull an all-nighter and something of an excellent motivator. I took a nap...woke up...and plowed out this chapter. I think I'm going to go lie down now though. Um...you know the drill. Read on...see my profile for updates and for answers to questions you might have about me or my writing. Thank you to those of you who left me a wonderful review. And remember I'm more likely to update regularly like this if you let me know how I'm doing.

Warning: This Fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!

Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to my friends who I love and my friends who I wish would just drop by once in awhile so I could kick their butts with my home-made baked goods.

...

Garrus was in a good mood for a whole two weeks after his little tumble with Shepard in the Gym. He didn't even mind when Shepard left him behind on several missions. They engaged in quite a few none the less on their way to Tuchanka and Shepard made sure to restock the ship's supplies at every available opportunity, clearly intent on a long excursion on the Krogan home-world. An odd contentment had settled upon the commander as well, though her upcoming reunion with Urdnot Wrex clearly weighed on her mind. She made no mention of her old krogan teammate. In fact she seemed to avoid the topic whenever possible...which seemed odd Garrus as one of her favorite things to do was to normally regale the new crew with accounts of her mission alongside the krogan mercenary.

At times she and Zaeed would even get into little competitions over close saves, daring escapes, and impossible kills. More often then not Shepard would win these little contests as she always ended each one with a smirk and four simple words. "I. Defeated. A. Reaper." Of course then it was odd when Zaeed attempted to goad her into one of these little competitions only to be turned down as Gene merely told them all that she was busy with something. It felt odd to Garrus and it wasn't like the Commander. He let it slide however, because she didn't seem unnerved or stressed...just...off. As if she were preparing for a review of the ship from an admiral.

Still the tension in the commander seemed to slip away as they at last came within orbit of the shattered Tuchanka. Gene called for him and Mordin and put Grunt on stand-by and then ordered for the drop-ship to descend. The storms that warped the atmosphere of the krogan home-world rocked the drop-ship as it glided down to the surface. And in the muted silence within Garrus could just see the nostalgic and careful smile of the commander through the dark of the hull.

Gene strode through the Urdnot camp as if she were meant to be there. She didn't give an inch before the krogan guards and she held her own amongst the rough and tumble krogan as if she couldn't be bothered to care. For once she flaunted her natural affinity for aggression and leadership. And the more the feel of the camp washed over them the more Shepard's smile came to look like the defiant, confident, and cruel smirk of her days spent within gangs back on Earth. This, Garrus realized, was also apart of Gene's element. She fit in amongst the Krogan and could, for the most part, understand the way they thought much better than most of her race.

She looked like a graceful predator in a den of clumsy carnivores. She was in her element but made the krogan look as if they were out of theirs. Both parties seemed to recognize that she did not have the brute power to match the krogan's impressive strength. But the aura she exuded pronounced that it did not matter...she was at home here as they were. And the hammer that drove that point home was her reunion with Wrex.

The Krogan greeted her as if they'd only been separated for a week instead of the two years it had been. Gene gave away none of the nervous air that had marred her meetings before... instead she made it seem as if they really had only last seen each other a week ago. She asked after the new clan leader with the casual grace she had always used to question him about his past exploits back when they were still on the original Normandy.

And Garrus found himself surprised, both with how the Krogan handled telling a human (of all things) about sensitive matters and at how well Gene kept from making any comment that seemed to either approve or disapprove with what the Krogan had been up to. She asked her questions, he answered, and he'd see the way the information worked in her brain before she simply moved on. And when she was done learning about what Wrex had been up to she simply shrugged the conversation away and asked about Mordin's missing friend as if she'd come to ask for a cup for sugar from a neighbor. And when Wrex freely offered up the information with a nod and a grin Gene headed off with an easy good-bye and a confident swing set to her hips.

The resulting little tour through the Weyrloc clan's makeshift lab was perhaps one of the most straight forward and fun missions he'd ever been on with Shepard. Which surprised him. Gene seemed so much at ease, so utterly ready to smash heads and bash in skulls, that everything else just seemed to be inconsequential. Even when the issue of the Genophage was raised Gene seemed to carefully step around any accusations or judgements. She asked the important questions, and then urged them on with a distinct lack of comment. Garrus couldn't tell if she was doing it simply out of respect for Mordin's feelings, or if she were simply avoiding the issue in order to keep the tension of the issue from messing with her fun. Either way it was perhaps one of the first times when the successful end of the mission came, not as a sigh of relief or with a sense of accomplishment, but with a sense of trepidation and disappointment.

Gene urged the doctor to spare the other Salarian, and to keep his research...in a way allowing Mordin to decide for himself what he truly wanted to do about everything that had transpired. It was a surprise. Gene, who seemed normally so set in her own definition of a moral right, did not seem to want to show either the Krogan or Mordin her opinion on the sensitive issue that was the Krogan Genophage. It was an odd thing to find that the Commander could be so respectful to both as to keep herself from saying something one way or the other. After all, she was not often so quiet with her opinions.

Garrus, respectfully, also kept his mouth shut until they had boarded the Normandy once more. The two of them were allowed a reprieve as Mordin disembarked and they restocked their supplies while waiting for Grunt to take the Salarian's place on the drop ship. It was as they took count of their ammo that he at last turned to her to properly phrase the question that had been itching at him since they'd first stepped off of the soil of Tuchanka. "You seemed pretty quiet on the issue of the Genophage down there Commander. You have any thoughts on the matter or you just biting your tongue for the sake of the doctor and Wrex?"

Gene sent him a proud smile past her shoulder as she worked and then simply shrugged. "Not really my place to say anything is all. I can't say I know what's it like to be a Krogan and to have to deal with the constant knowledge that my race is on the decline. Especially not when it's not of their own doing but at the doing of two other races that had decided they were better than me. But humanity also wasn't around for the Krogan Rebellions. So I can't say we actually know what would have been the right call to a miserable war with an unfavorable outcome no matter how you looked at it. Both sides made mistakes...both sides have to deal with the repercussions. Wrex is doing his best to make the Krogan's lot better...and Mordin is doing what's right by him. I don't particularly have room to comment one way or the other. And it'd be egotistical of me to make judgements on a matter that ...really...has very little to do with me. I'd just be butting my head in where it doesn't belong and stirring up trouble. For the record though... I think the Genophage was a low blow that should probably be lifted now that we've got bigger and badder things to worry about than another round of Krogan invasions."

Garrus stared at the Commander for a very long time until she turned and cocked her head at him. "You there Vakarian? You look like your head's off on the moon." Garrus shook himself from his reverie and coughed awkwardly. "Ah, sorry Commander. I was just thinking that you seem awfully considerate when it comes to such sensitive cultural issues. It just doesn't quite seem like it's in your normal character." The minute the words left his mouth the Turian regretted them and braced for the physical assault he had no doubt would come.

Instead he was greeted with soft laughter. "Actually you're right. It's against my nature to be courteous just due to a cultural divide. If I acted like I wanted to I'd probably just come right out with what I'd think was right. But...well...my aunt taught me better than that. She had a guest over once who talked on and on about how he'd killed this mercenary and how proud of himself he was for doing it without ever firing a single shot. I finally got so irritated that I told him that bragging about killing someone, no matter how evil, is as low as it gets and just proves how little you think of yourself."

Garrus chuckled and passed her the rations set she was gesturing for. "Sounds like you Commander." She chuckled as well and took a moment to secure the ration set before turning back to him. "Yeah, but unfortunately for me our guest wasn't human. He was Krogan. He was so offended by what I'd said that he nearly pulled out his gun on me. My Aunt and her fiance' managed to talk him down from it and later my Aunt ripped into me. She hit me upside the head and told me that I needed to respect the cultures of other people and races, even if I found them ...disagreeable. Of course she added that there's a difference between respecting another person's culture and beliefs and actually allowing someone to commit an action I feel is wrong. And I realize that I can't just step aside a let someone do something I think is wrong because of cultural differences. But if it's something that's outside my control or just relies on opinion...well...I've learned to keep my nose out of it until it becomes my problem."

Garrus let out a breath of amusement and let the matter drop as Grunt at last came into view. They finished loading their gear in almost record time and then returned to the planet's surface where they spent the night curled up on the fold-out cots within the drop-ship's hold. The next morning the three of them made quick work of their preparations and once more met their old Krogan teammate for his assistance. The air was more casual than the day before and Garrus could not help but notice how it wasn't just Wrex that seemed to be grateful for the blow they'd landed on clan Weyrloc the day before. The scout that had returned only helped to solidify Shepard's reputation within the Krogan camp. The only one who didn't seem pleased was Wrex's surly and ill-tempered advisor he'd dismissed upon his reunion with the Commander.

Gene and Wrex merely seemed to ignore him as they discussed Grunt's problem and Garrus could see the humor and excitement flickering to life in Shepard's defiant smirk. By the time they left to see the clan shaman Gene seemed as interested in the Blood Rite as their young, tank-bred, Krogan did. The Turian almost felt as if he were the outsider as he watched Gene handle the delicate Krogan diplomacy with all the finesse you'd expect from a punk from earth. When Gatatog Uvenk stood in the way of Grunt's trial, she pulled back her head and slammed the yammering Krogan on the crown with a smart and headache-inducing head-butt. Her stunt seemed to do the trick because the assaulted Krogan stalked off, the shaman was put into a good mood, and after a last few details they were off to initiate Grunt into the Urdnot clan.

Garrus was impressed with how smoothy it all seemed to go, and it was invigorating to see Gene revert to her days as a punk with a smart-mouth and sharp sense of defiance. At the same time he found himself feeling like an intruder. Where Grunt and Shepard seemed excited at the prospects of the unknown test, Garrus was nervous. More than that, as he looked at this defiant, smart-mouthed, and reckless side of Gene, he could clearly see where time, the alliance, and her own experiences had changed her. She was still a smart-mouthed, sarcastic, punk with a heart of gold at her core...but now she had the patience, discipline, skill and control that had come from years of honing what was already there. The Turian suddenly understood why the Reapers could be afraid of her and why the alliance had been so eager to position her as a SPECTRE.

She was a punk who reeled in people with her charm. She knew when and how to lie but was honest enough to be believed when it mattered. She was strong enough to kill and see death every day without breaking down, but was sensitive enough to feel for those who had died and be sincere with her sorrow and regret. She was loyal to those who had done right to her and would act on their behalf even if her allegiance changed. She was a strange and direct sort of person that in any other field would have failed. As a soldier; as a leader; as a savior...she was perfect. It made Garrus smile to himself as he thought of how stupid Cerberus was to think they could use her like a varren on a leash.

He chuckled when Gene caught him staring; the thoughtful look of contemplation still on his face, and she shot him a grin and tossed him a thermal clip with a smirk. "Head in the game Vakarian. We've got a rite to get through." He laughed and quickly slapped the ammo into place. "Ma'am, yes ma'am." he told her. Grunt spared them both a confused glare as the truck came to a stop and they piled out into the stormy and blistering weather of Tuchanka's surface. Gene merely shot him a wicked grin filled with teeth and pushed him forward.

The rite was a test on Garrus's resolve. He wanted to stay serious, to stay alive and think of a way out...but the shouts of laughter and the pleased screams of the Commander and Grunt sent that plan all to hell. She was quick with orders, quicker with bullets and flying streams of biotic power. He smiled to himself as he got to see her practice had been paying off. Varren and Creepers went flying hither and thither, bullets and flame mixed as they danced out of reach of enemies on Gene's giddy orders. It was like he was playing one of the military games he'd played as a boy. Tag the other team, dance out of their reach, tag them again, let your partner tag them from the side, finish them off. Garrus found himself nearly having fun...until he saw the tentacles in the distance.

He shot a glance of horror to Gene...but she wasn't looking at him. She was gazing at the Thresher Maw rising from the ground with the strangest sort of leer he'd ever seen. Grunt looked much the same. The Commander was taking the Thresher Maw as a challenge...and obviously one she was all to eager to engage in. Garrus felt a shiver of anticipation roll down his spine. The explosion that hit the giant worm in the face came as a crescendo to his heightened nerves. He ducked as the Thresher Maw reacted violently to sudden attack and braced himself for the fight to come.

Gene took them through it almost methodically, the second the worm would rear back she'd order them to move, diving for cover and out of the way of the acid that missed them by inches. And Gene would hit it again and again with her barrage of missile fire, every now and then her hair standing on end from the rolling waves of distorted energy as she'd lash out and warp the space inside of the worm, trying desperately to take out it's vital organs. She was still smiling, still shaking from adrenaline as the giant thresher descended back into the sand. The gleam of lightning all Garrus could see in her eyes.

He laughed with her as she thumped him on the back and they rose to return to the camp, all three squad members nearing their limit but still itching for just a bit more. Ganatag Uvenk was apparently happy to oblige them. Garrus knew Gene wouldn't approve of his plan because it didn't suit her or Grunt to agree. The resulting fight was inevitable and devastating. Gene wasn't laughing anymore...she couldn't laugh when her opponents were no longer just wild creatures thirsty for blood but people fighting her because she'd disagreed. But she was clearly satisfied as the battle abruptly ended as she smacked the last defiant Krogan in the face with a biotic surge that warped the mass of Krogan's throat and chest.

The Shaman was impressed when he finally came to collect them, but Gene was too exhausted to care. They rode back to the camp and Gene simply accepted Wrex's invitation to stay with him for the night. Grunt went off on his own...most likely to explore and learn about the clan he was now apart of...but Gene and Garrus both collapsed as soon as Wrex showed them to their cots. The laughter of the Krogan wafted over them as he left them to sleep but it wasn't the last thing Garrus heard before he finally slipped into unconsciousness. It was Gene's quiet laughter as she gave him a smile, satisfied, tired smile and slipped off into sleep herself.

The awoke early the next morning and after restocking and a round of 'shoot the pyjax' they made ready to leave. Gene gave Wrex a wave and a short goodbye, as if they'd meet the Krogan again tomorrow, and left with a grin. As they made their way to the drop ship EDI informed them of several mating requests for Grunt, which only made the young krogan huff in acknowledgement, and one for Shepard. Grunt let out a laugh and, after a moment's pause, so did Gene. Garrus only managed to smile. He understood why a Krogan would be interested in her. She could be like them when she wanted to be...but he was surprised at the tiny stab of jealousy that came at the idea of someone else looking at her in the same way he did.

She made the stab melt away when she insisted on sitting next him on ride back up to the Normandy and in the quiet dark of the ship she pulled him down and kissed him hard on the tip of his brow.

...

Neross: Okay I hope you all enjoyed that...if not ...well...you know the drill. Leave me a review letting me know why or why not you did or did not enjoy this chapter or how it could be improved. I'm just...going to go make my head stop spinning.

Until next time, keep on rocking out.


	16. The Lion Drunk on Blood

Neross: Well I had a fun week avoiding the end of the world. How about you? In any case my faithful readers I hope you all enjoy this next chapter and I want to thank again those of you who take the time to leave me a review.

Warning: This Fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!

...

The following weeks went by in a bit of a blur, their course was erratic and the Commander gave no hint as to their next destination. There was plenty enough activity to keep them busy and distracted. Garrus, in particular, found himself kept constantly on his toes by the Commander's amorous sneak attacks. He didn't know if she did it because she was making a game out of it or if she just liked the look of surprise on his face. Either way he now looked around every corner and checked behind each door as if he were wandering around behind enemy lines.

The kiss in the drop ship hold had only been the first of many instances. The second time had been in the elevator when he'd been headed back from the gym. The second he'd stepped out he found himself suddenly pulled back down the hall and back into the elevator's hold and suddenly thrown against the wall. He would have cursed had he not heard that soft, wicked laughter he knew all too well. He felt soft hands caress the back of his neck, just beneath his fringe, and soft lips touch the base of his chin. He warmed instantly and could not help the deep moan that issued from his throat. And then, as quickly as she had grabbed him, she pushed him back out, just in time for him to watch the smug smile on her face as the doors slid close.

She got him again just after they'd returned from a mission on a space station controlled by a rogue VI. He was stepping off of the drop ship behind Kasumi when she suddenly dragged him back in, kicked his feet out from under him, and shut the door behind them. He tried to pull himself up only to have her push him back down again as she knelt down beside him. She leaned over him and placed her lips lightly against his mouth. Heat shot through him and he felt her hands dance along the sensitive space just beneath his fringe. He didn't know how she knew just how and where to touch him, but by the spirits he didn't care. It all felt much too good for him to care. After what seemed like only the briefest of moments he heard her laugh and then her heat was gone. Before he could get to his feet she was laughing her way out of the drop-ship and on her way to the elevator.

After that he had to keep on his toes. As much as he liked being ravished by the object of his affection it was also did a number on his nerves. It seemed she'd found a new way to tease him and he found he missed the times she'd teased him with a story. This new teasing felt more like torture. Each time she'd cornered him she'd brought him to brinks of deep pleasure, but before he could topple over the edge she'd pull back and force him to struggle with his newly awakened pleasure all on his own. It was maddening. So he kept on his toes and watched her in the moments when they were alone and the moments when she trailed behind the others.

He began to wonder if Shepard's method of seducing him was normal behavior for humans. Then he rationalized that Shepard was still Shepard and that meant that she was still as strange as they come. Still he often thought that if he were human he might understand her better somehow. And then something happened that made him feel a great deal better about the relationship they had and about being a Turian.

Of course he had had to wait until after they managed to secure Tali from the surface of an old Quarian colony within Geth controlled space. The mission itself was a testament to all the old times they'd had fighting against Saren and his Geth army. And the joy of being able to relive those good old days was clear upon Shepard's face the second Tali agreed to go with them. That night the sounds of celebration came loud and clear from Kasumi's room where the girls (all but Samara it seemed ) partied it up with the master thief's fully stocked bar. Shepard had, of course, agreed to fully reimburse Kasumi for every bottle they emptied. This meant that the little japanese woman was doing her best to empty every bottle she had.

Garrus did feel a bit remise at not being able to celebrate the Quarian's return with the rest of them. But it seemed Kasumi had plans of her own for the women of the Normandy. The boys lingered around the room, some hoping to intrude, Joker even managed to sneak in for awhile and a great deal of them thought he'd been successful. Until he staggered out covered in make-up and dressed up in the flimsiest dress Garrus had ever seen. He looked like a clown in drag and was the funniest damn thing Garrus had ever seen. After that the boys stayed clear.

The girls partied late into the night but eventually they piled out one by one. Garrus watched from the galley with amusement as each girl stumbled their way back to their respective places of rest. Until the only one left was Gene. She stumbled out last, giggling like she'd lost her mind. Garrus watched her with as smug a look as he could muster and had to restrain himself from laughing at the way she stumbled down the hall out into the galley. "Well aren't you the perfect picture of inebriation." he told her with a laugh.

She looked up at him with misty eyes and gave him a lopsided smile."Gaaarrus." she slurred. She then seemed to realize she'd messed up his name and laughed at herself. "Hey. Hey! Say something else won't you? I love it when you talk! Your voice is just...hee!...It's just amazing. I mean all you Turians sound so cool but you...god I love it when you talk!"

He grinned, he couldn't help himself. At the moment he was too filled with a strong sense of male pride to hold back his feelings. He stood and went to her and took hold of her arms in order to steady her and keep her from swaying on her feet. "What should I say then Shepard? I could whisper sweet nothings in your ear if you'd like." he chuckled when she giggled at him and eagerly held on to his arms.

"I like it better when ya shwear. Yer voice goes all husky when ya swear. Hee...and your eyes go all sharp like a hawk's...that's da best." she told him, giggling as she leaned her head against his shoulder and buried herself in, breathing him in deeply. He chuckled as he realized why she'd been surprising him the way she had and leaned down to rest his chin against her head. As he spoke again he made sure to lower his voice into a warm growl. "If you weren't so drunk Shepard I'd take that as an invitation."

The red-headed woman shuddered against him and wrapped her hands around his neck, under his fringe, and stroked there with remarkable deftness for someone so drunk. He let out a pleased rumble and wrapped one arm around her waist and let the other circle her back so he could trail his hand through her hair. "How do you know how to do that?" he asked groaning as his pulse quickened under her hands. He felt her lips against his mandible and heard her drunken laugh "M'Aunt taught me...Maria knows a bunch 'bout Turians."

Garrus chuckled and nuzzled her neck lightly biting at where her neck met her shoulder. "That so. I'll have to thank her." she let out a sweet little hum of pleasure and nibbled her way down from his mandible to his neck. "How'd she come to know so much about Turians hm?" he asked, dragging out a moan as her hands trailed up to slide across his fringe and then down over his shoulders and across his chest. Gene laughed again and threw back her head. "Aunt Maria's a genius and she loooooooves Turians. She even ...Mmm...she even wrote a book on 'em." he grinned against the skin of her neck and rasped his tongue against her neck up to her jaw.

"Did she now? Sounds like a fetish." he mused brushing her neck with his mandibles as he laughed, drawing such pleasant sounds from the Spectre's mouth. She melted against him and her arms encircled his waist in order to cling to him and keep herself upright. "No she...god...she just...she...Mmmm...she fell in love with them because of...christ that's good...because of m ' Uncle ...Jaxus."

Garrus stilled and slowly pulled himself away from her to look her in the clouded depths of her eyes. "That's a Turian name Shepard..." he told her, blood chilling in his veins. She grinned at him, wickedly, and giggled in her drunken way as she nodded. "Yep...tha's cuz he is one...he taught me a bunch too cuz he used to work with C-SEC." she giggled again and stared up at him with a foolish, impish, and still rather lop-sided smile. "He follow m' Aunt around like a worried mother hen. Iz'za funniest thing I eva saw!" she burst out into a hysterical laugh and then stopped at looked at him with worry. "Garrus?"

He shook himself off and forced himself to smile, gently steering her toward the elevator by the crook of her arm. "You gotta stop throwing all these surprise punches at me Shepard. One of these days you might actually kill me." As he placed her in the elevator she caught him by the arm and made him turn toward her. She was smiling at him with unabashed affection and it made his heart stop. She laid a hand gently against his scarred mandible trailed her hand across it as if tracing her blood into his wounds to heal it. "You can take it." she told him quietly, with pride. And then she let him go and the door elevator stole her away.

He got no sleep that night. Instead he spent his normal sleeping hours discovering the most fascinating piece of literature on the extranet. "Human and Turian Relations by Dr. Maria St. George."

...

Neross: Well my loyal readers I hope you all enjoyed this latest installment and I hope you'll stick around for the next. And don't worry we're getting AWFULLY close to the good stuff. But I'm sure I could be persuaded to get there even faster if you all encouraged me to write more with a review. :)

Until next time my frustrated readers, keep on rocking out!


	17. The AI of Zephyrus

Neross: Okay so I would like to blame my hatred for delivery men as the reason why this didn't make it up oh...yesterday. But really I just had a terrible case of the 'ARGH! WHY CAN'T I WRITE THIS PROPERLY! CURSE YOU FICKLE MUSE! CURSE YOU!' ...otherwise known as writer's block. In any case thanks to those of you who continue to keep me motivated with reviews and a wonderful week to all my readers who continue to stick with me ...despite the distinct lack of teh sex.

Warning: This Fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!

...

As it turned out Shepard's Aunt Maria had written sixteen books in the last twenty years. Her first book was a rather cut and dry scientific study about how each of the three council races were perceived culturally by humanity and how humanity appeared culturally to the three council races. Her second book however, the one she seemed the most known for, was almost like a comedic introspective on how Human/ Turian relationships could be established and improved upon over time. The way it read was almost like a dating guide and Garrus almost felt sorry for the Turian who seemed to be the subject of the book's focus. She had written two more cut and dry scientific novels, both focusing on the varying similarities and differences in the cultures found upon the Citadel. After that however she seemed to have slipped into the realm of fantasy because her last twelve books had been two romance series all spaced across six books. The first series was a group of books following the adventures of a Turian rock-star and his feisty human bodyguard. The second series was even more popular than the first series and was all about a socially awkward human scientist and a Turian mercenary hired to watch over her.

Somehow Garrus sensed there was a theme to the woman's work. Amused at having learned this bit of information Garrus did his best to hide what he now knew from the Commander. Somehow it felt like he'd been reading her private journal and, much like any annoying younger sibling, wanted desperately to hold the information over her head for as long as possible. But of course fate always had a way of ruining his fun. And this time it was fate dressed up in a black leather jacket and green skin.

Shepard; as was her nature; had agreed to help Thane find his son. And while Garrus had no trouble accepting this as necessary; he did have a problem with the way Thane kept finding ways to turn a three-man mission into a private affair between Gene and himself. The Turian was infuriated when he'd been left back at C-SEC as the two of them went on a stake-out of the Turian politician Kolyat had been hired to kill. It did not help matters when he caught her strolling out of Life Support later that same night.

In an instant she turned toward him and smiled which helped to qwell the burning jealousy in his gut but did not extinguish it altogether. She seemed to sense, however, that something was wrong because her smile fell and she gazed at him with something of a worried expression. "Garrus?" she asked, taking a step toward him. He rolled his shoulders in an effort to release some of the tension that had built there and then did his best to appear neutral when he looked at her again. "I'm going to the gym...join me?"

She nodded blandly to his request but continued to look at him as if she knew something was wrong. The elevator ride down to the cargo deck was tense and silent. As they crossed the hall from cargo bay to gym Garrus could feel her blue eyes digging into his back, searching for some sign of what he was feeling. He tried his best to ignore the feeling and simply led her into their sacred place. She pulled off her shoes as they entered and as he swung himself up into the ring she was removing her outer Cerberus issue shirt, revealing the white tank top she wore beneath it. She removed her pants as well and awarded Garrus with a fine view of her posterior as bent over and showed off the tight pair of black shorts she had on to hide her underwear beneath. The last to go were her socks which she awkwardly removed as she hopped her way over to the ring. When she was at last free of her restrictions, and obviously more comfortable, she jumped the rope and stared at him expectantly.

It suddenly hit him that it had been far too long since he'd seen her in the gym like this. In fact he was pretty sure the last had been when he'd first felt that spark of jealousy over a certain assassin. The thought made the boiling pit in his stomach grow in size. He began to circle her without saying a word, and he was rather glad to see the surprise in her eyes. She was unaccustomed to this. She was used to having the upper hand in this ring...to either seeing the first punch coming, or to throwing it herself. And there was always banter. They had always talked before, baited one another into their skirmishes in the ring. The silence, his in particular, had thrown her off her game...and Garrus intended to take full advantage of that.

She followed his movements in a fluid stance he'd seen only in old vids of human boxing. He wasn't surprised when she dodged his first kick by simply jumping over it, and when he pulled back to aim a punch at her chest he felt the expected deflection as she smacked him aside. But he connected with his next hit, a blow aimed for her stomach. She chocked and backed off, shaking off the discomfort and pain as easily as she could, but there was the unexpected element of apprehension in her face as she fell back into her stance. The Turian suddenly realized that in this fight he now had the upper hand. She was nervous, on-guard, and unsure of him. But he was sure about her. Unless pushed to an extreme he knew she would not use her biotics. Unless sure he was seriously attempting to hurt her she would not use her full strength against him. And right now she was as unsure as she'd ever been in this particular ring. The knowledge brought a wicked smile to his face and he saw her body respond by nervously relaxing.

Bad idea on her part. He moved in faster than she expected and landed a hard kick to her side. She was thrown into the rope of the ring and she swore at the pain he was sure was now coursing up through her bruised waist. She turned a glare on him, lightning flashing dangerously in the depths of her eyes. When she moved next he easily recognized the dangerous signs that she was now expecting to beat the living snot out of him. His mandibles flashed in amusement as she stepped toward him. She lashed out with a kick he barely had time to dodge and he barely managed to catch the punched she'd thrown toward his face. His palm sang out in a dull throb from the force of her blow but when he pulled back his arm and spun them both, landing a gentle push to her back he knew he'd confused her.

He was rewarded by a wary but uneasy stance when she swung around to face him again, her expression unsure, lightning flickering in a background of confused flame. Garrus knew, despite his amusement at how easily he was able to play with the Commander's emotions this way, that eventually she'd get tired of his little game and just promptly kick his ass as if he were a living punching bag. So he decided it was about time to bring the whole thing to an end. He kicked out at her, slower than he might have if he were serious and watched the recognition in her eyes as she promptly blocked the blow meant for her head and pushed his offending limb away with a light tap. He pulled his leg back slowly and then sank down low and kicked her legs out from under her in a repeat of the move he'd started the spar session with. She sprawled and swore and grasped at her head where it had collided with the floor as she attempted to sit up and get back on her feet.

He pushed her down again before she could with a rough hand to her shoulder. She let out a sound of surprise as he instantly snuck his other hand up underneath her thin white under-shirt to stroke the side he'd abused mere moments before. Shepard let out a gasp of pleasure at the feel of his hand against her bare flesh leaned into his touch, fanning the flames that had burst to life due to his jealousy. He ran his left hand from her shoulder up into her hair, kneading her scalp as he pulled her hair away from her neck. She moaned out his name with an uncertain tone, once more unsure of his intentions. It hadn't been too long since he'd told her to wait for 'the calm before the storm' and had told her that he'd do some research. He could understand her confusion...but she'd provoked him and he needed to show her that she was his.

Her flesh was soft under his hand and although the fear of hurting her emerged he easily pushed it aside. He needed this. If she hated him for it...so be it. He reached up her shirt and found an obstruction in the form of her bra. He growled his displeasure and pushed her shirt up so that he could properly rip the offending garment to bits with his talons. He felt her body quiver in response and it emboldened him. He turned his attention back to the crook of her neck as he grasped at her breast with a fierce grip that dragged a groan of appreciation from the back of the Commander's throat. He smiled against the skin of her neck as she began to move beneath him, reacting to each touch and simple movement of his hand against her sensitive skin. He licked sweat from her neck and nibbled at the raw flesh, the scent and taste of her blood rising up to the surface of her skin though he had yet to puncture it. She pleaded against him, the tortured sound of her voice driving him to that wild place within.

He bit down at the taught muscle where her neck met her shoulder. She gasped in a mixture of pain and pleasure and her whole body shook from the impact his bite had caused. He pulled back and fought desperately from licking her blood away, knowing that anything he had built would be destroyed the second her blood mixed with system. Instead he wiped her blood away with his hand, gently rubbing in the puncture marks on her skin as if rubbing the lesson he was teaching her into her memory. She let out a hiss of pain at his action but clutched at his arm all the same, making him stay close even as he drew his hand away from her chest. "Damnit Garrus..." she muttered through gritted teeth gazing up at him with that wonderful mix of melted flame. And then she smiled at him and stroked with slow and gentle movements just beneath his fringe.

He let out a pleased moan and her deep, pleased chuckle flowed over him like warm water, soothing at last the boiling energy in the pit of his stomach. "If you start doing this every time I'm alone with Thane I don't think I'll make it to see the collector base. I'll just end up locking us up in my quarters until the galaxy comes to an end."

He laughed and gently pulled the remains of her bra off of her before slowly pulling her shirt back down to cover her. "You make that sound like a bad thing." he mused.

...

Neross: Alright so that felt pretty good. AND it got my mind off of the lazy delivery men who failed to put together my new freezer properly. So...KUDOS! In any case my faithful readers I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter. You can feel free to tell me what EXACTLY you like about it in a review! Or, if you didn't like it, you can feel free to tell me what I can do to make this story more enjoyable for you. Either way I'm more likely to write more and faster with more reviews to keep me peppy and motivated.

Until next time loyal readers, keep on rocking out!


	18. Adam, Eve, and the Angel Uplifted

Neross: Well my loyal readers we're getting close to the awaited moment and ever closer to the end. So now is the time when you should really be attempting to bribe me with reviews more than ever. So for those of you who sent me a review I give you my most pleased thanks and appreciation...and those of you who did not review really should be thanking them as well...otherwise this chapter really would have been up two or three days later.

Warning: This Fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!

...

It took them awhile, which Garrus was grateful for, before the Commander was finally ready to step foot on the derelict reaper. The crew seemed to understand Shepard's trepidation. If any one had cause to be cautious around a Reaper, even a dead one, it was her. He had wanted to go with her, almost insisted, until he saw the look in her eye. She wasn't leaving him out on purpose, in fact it appeared as if she desperately wanted him to come, but she was thinking tactically and she was expecting something that would require the aid of other crew members. He had experience she wanted specialization. So she took Samara and Grunt with her and Garrus suddenly understood what she was thinking.

She was expecting husks.

If there was one thing the Commander hated dealing with, hated going up against, it was husks. The Turian had an inkling that it was because they tugged at her anger in more ways than one. Husks were the repurposed bodies of the dead which Garrus was sure the Commander found as something of an insult. They were also difficult as hell to take down with anything less than a shotgun, which was one firearm the commander had yet to master. What's more Husks could be on the fringe of nearly endless. All in all he was not expecting her to come back smiling.

But she did. Despite their narrow escape and the horde of husks Grunt had confirmed they'd faced, Shepard looked as if she'd just come out weapon shop having talked her way into getting the latest assault rifle for free. Garrus wondered about this until he spotted what the crew were rolling into the AI chamber. A geth trooper, fully intact and momentarily non-functional. He felt a confusing mixture of emotions boil at the base of his spine. He recognized many of them, worry, anger, frustration, love, and exasperation. The rest, however, were impossible to grasp.

He didn't try to stop Gene from re-activating the geth. He'd learned his lesson from when he tried to talk her out of waking Grunt. And in the long run she'd been right...but it didn't make what he knew she was doing any easier to bear. So he went down to the gym to beat away his emotions instead. He'd just stepped out of the elevator when he heard something of a scream coming from engineering. He had no doubt that it was Tali expressing her displeasure. He shot a sympathetic look up toward the ceiling above his head before he moved on to the gym.

She found him not long after, her smile no longer quite so large, but there was a strange quality to it he'd seen only a few times before. She was feeling curious and excited. It was not what Garrus wanted to see splashed across her features. "Let me guess," he began on a growl, "We've got a new crew-mate. You do realize you're breaking the law by letting that thing live don't you Shepard? Or did our war against Saren teach you nothing?"

Gene simply looked up at him and shed off her jacket with a wicked smile. "We've dubbed it Legion...it's wearing a piece of my old armor Garrus." The Turian stopped and looked at the Commander in surprise. "It's what?"

"At least...I'm pretty sure it's mine. I had a closer look at it when we were bringing it aboard...it's got the mark I made on the inside of my breast-plate. It saved my life...and it's wearing my old armor. This thing is different from what we've fought before. It talks..." she laughed, the sound strange, before she looked over to him with a wicked grin. "I think I finally understand how my Aunt feels about studying other cultures. I want to study this thing like crazy."

Garrus flared his mandibles and punched the hanging bag one more time for good effort before walking over to her. "You're crazy. You're the craziest most stubborn person I've ever met. Did you even think about what might have happened if that thing had woken up and tried to kill you?"

She turned serious and looked up at him, crossing her arms irritably over her chest. "I had a guard, it was unarmed, we had it behind bars, and the second it made a suspicious move you know I would have fried it's butt with a good overload blast before it could even reach me. Cautious enough for you?" She said, her voice issuing a challenge her eyes echoed with furious bolts of lightning.

He let out a huff of agitation. "If I said 'no' would it matter? You never listen to anybody when it really counts anyway. You just plow right on in and ensure us that you know what the hell you're doing. Even when you don't." She glared at him but he didn't care. It was the truth whether she liked it or not. She took a dangerous step toward him, the air around her crackling with energy. She was on a high-wire emotionally. Evidentially she'd had enough emotional flip-flops for the day.

"Then why the hell are you still here?" she snapped.

"Because I-!" he shut his mouth tight on the end of his sentence. He wasn't ready to tell her that yet. Wasn't ready for those words. "Why the hell do you think Shepard? Damnit we all know you're the best at what you do but that doesn't mean you have to go out there and purposefully put yourself in harm's way!"

"Then what the hell do you want me to do? Sit on the sidelines and just talk the Reapers into leaving us alone? I'm a soldier Garrus the only way I know how to do things is by throwing myself forward and hoping luck's on my side." She took a step forward and her hair flipped to life of it's own accord, a warning sign that she was having trouble keeping her biotics in check. Garrus didn't care he pushed forward and grabbed her by her shirt's collar.

"I just want you to think you idiot! If you died again I don't think I could take it! Damnit Gene if you died you'd be taking me with you do you understand? You said you wanted me to walk into hell with you. Fine. But don't ask me to watch you die again!"

What she did next sent his mind spinning, he felt a surge of biotic energy swarm around them and then felt as she reached up and slammed her lips against his jaw, biting down hard on his chin. He felt her body tremble against his as she let out a animalistic sound of frustration and desire that instantly stirred his own instincts to life. He pulled back on her hair, drawing her away from him, seeing blue blood staining her normally pink lips. He grabbed her head in both hands and lowered himself to lick away his own blood. He tasted her beneath the familiar metallic taste of his blood. She tasted like some sort of exotic nectar, rich, spicy, and sweet. It made his head swim and he let out a low guttural purr of delight.

He heard something land with a thud behind and beside him but didn't care to look. He felt her fall slack against him as the momentary weakness from using her biotics fell over her. But she was greedily clutching at him, a deep need exuding from her pores in waves of pheromones. She pulled at his shirt and let out a cry of frustration when she seemed unable to move it at all from him. So he did it for her and then hungrily returned his attention to tasting her flesh, happily noting that there was still a light reminder of where he'd bitten her last. He bit down there again and moaned as the sweet sensation of her shuddering body rocked against his. He felt her hands wander his chest, foreign and yet all too skilled at pulling his desire up from deep pools within his being.

With a disappointed groan he pulled himself from her neck and dragged his hands from her shoulders down to her waist, delighting in the feel of her soft skin underneath her shirt. "Garrus...damnit." she whispered, her voice sounding strained and angry. "I don't know how much more of this I can take...you've ruined the punching bag for me."

He laughed at her statement and pulled away to see the small sheepish sort of smile gracing her features. There was still a trace of blue against her lips and he smeared it over her bottom lip with his thumb in an affectionate gesture. "I'd like to think we'd at least wait until we could do it in a place with a door that we can lock."

She chuckled and rubbed her forehead against his bare chest, holding him to her. "A place without cameras would be nice too."

Garrus swore under his breath, he'd forgotten all about those. "Uh...nobody's seen us the times we've been in here...have they?"

Gene laughed again and shook her head. "No I had Mordin help me take them down and disable them...for the most part."

"The most part?"

"There's one left with a good view of the room at large...but I've had it password protected. EDI and I are the only one's with access. And I had Kasumi, Mordin, and Tali help me make sure it stays that way. Miranda was ticked off about it when she found out." she assured him, sighing against him, sending a pleasant shiver down his spine.

He grinned down at her and stroked at her hair. "I'll bet. What'd you tell her?"

Gene shot him a wicked smirk and gave him a light kiss over his heart. "That the gym is private and thus off limits for spying."

...

Neross: *evil grin* Guess what the NEXT chapter is going to be about? Go ahead...guess. If you tell me how I'm doing I might just post the next Chapter a couple days early...but ONLY if you provide me with a feast of reviews my dear readers. ONLY if you give me a feast. And yes...this is blackmail.

Until next time my dear readers, keep on rocking out.


	19. Calling Kali to Dance

Neross: Well my dears it's finally here. Thanks for the support but let's be honest. We've all been waiting for this one so let's get to it.

Warning: This Fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!

...

The addition of the new Geth crew member set the rest of the ship on edge. Garrus himself felt nervous having something he still considered his enemy existing not but fifty feet away. Thankfully Legion stuck to the AI chamber as much as possible...which was always. It never left. The crew was thankful for it. It made Garrus suspicious. Shepad however, merely retained her curiosity for the situation. And in her usual way she noticed her Turian crew mates distress and did her best to alleviate the situation.

Unfortunately for Garrus that meant that from then on Shepard insisted on rotating her crew mates in missions around how much time they'd spent with the Geth. Equal time, equal exposure, equal opportunity to change their minds about trusting their new crew member. For the most part it did the trick. There were exceptions of course but even Garrus had to admit that the Geth was an asset that was hard to pass up. What's more Shepard worked well with Legion, he could see the way she watched the Geth with a strange curious light in her eyes.

It worth it to get to work on missions with the Geth as well because it seemed Legion was the one member of the crew Gene didn't seem to worry about offending with her PDA. Working with Legion became something of a treat for him. At the start of every mission she'd kiss him square on the mouth and the Geth would give no notice. At the end of each mission she'd nibble on his mandible and stroke behind his fringe in the way that would set his insides on fire and the Geth never even looked their way.

And all too soon things seemed to have just, fallen in place. The tumult and chaos of the ship quieted and an odd sort of peace finally settled amongst the crew. Shepard had quieted even the tension between Tali and Legion it seemed after she caught the two fighting in the AI chamber when they had returned from reversing the virus to rewrite the hostile Geth. And although Miranda and Jack avoided each other as much as possible it seemed even they had finally put their differences aside to focus on the task at hand. The frantic moments Garrus spent were Gene calmed as well the frantic and violent impulses turning to calm and even tempered meetings in the forward batteries or in the corridors when they became empty of the crew.

It should have been the peace that tipped Garrus off. The quiet should have disturbed him, warned him of the danger. Instead he had fallen into it's lull along with all the others. They'd grown carefree in those few days. Too carefree...they'd forgotten what they were up against. They were reminded in the devastation that followed.

It was just a simple re-stock and supply trip. Laughingly they had referred to it as a mission and loaded into the drop-ship. Kasumi had volunteered to follow behind in the recently acquired M-44 Hammerhead so they'd have the space available for the supplies. Shepard was busy bartering with their supplier when EDI contacted them with the news. Garrus watched on with trepidation as the smile vanished from Gene's face and was replaced with a grim line of fury. He saw the lightning spark to life in her eyes and then consume all eyes until her irises were practically aglow. He saw how her free hand formed a fist and shook and saw the way her biotics flared around her before dying back. She barked orders for the others to finish up without her, grabbed him by the arm and snapped at Grunt and Tali to get the drop ship up in the air.

There was no hesitation, they all moved with a frantic urgency born from her rage. They'd barely made it back and managed to get the drop ship secured before they spotted the Hammerhead ascending as well. Gene ignored the warning the drop ship's VI spouted and launched herself out the door before the engines had even shut down and didn't stop running until she found Joker secure within the ship's drive core chamber. Joker looked at her as if expecting her to hit him, to scream at him, berate him. Instead she simply held out a hand and helped him to his feet.

Garrus watched them walk together past him as the Commander helped their pilot hobble his way to the elevator the lightning in her eyes still as all consuming as ever. Suddenly he became very afraid for the Collector's. He'd only ever seen the Commander that calm and her eyes that bright. And that was just after finding the dead body of Admiral Kahoko. She'd destroyed every Cerberus base she'd found after that with a distinct lack of enthusiasm...and without her usual restraint.

The look was in her eyes now, that deadly calm that was a mask of the true turmoil spinning underneath. And despite the warning bells in his head...he felt the last vestiges of his control break as well. The predatory tone in her voice as she announced they would get their crew back and make the Collector's pay for thinking they could take them without retaliation sliced through him. Because he was afraid, that she would lose herself in her thirst for revenge...the way he had. He knew that if she left her be he'd lose her again. And that was a pain he wasn't willing to bear again.

Despite his resolve he found himself faltering however when the elevator doors opened and revealed the landing before the door to her quarters. It took him a great amount of effort to take that first step over the threshold. The door slid open for him and he couldn't help the half-smile that formed as he realized she trusted him enough to have allowed him access. She must have done it ages ago and simply refused to tell him. No doubt she had been waiting for him to ask. The smell of her nearly overwhelmed him as he stepped into her domain, this place truly was hers no matter how little time she seemed to spend there. He almost wondered where she was when he caught the sound of the shower running in her private bathroom to his right. He felt warmth pool in his gut as he realized he could just slip in and join her in the water.

His nerves got the better of him however and instead he forced himself to walk past the bathroom into the lower half of her living quarters. He set the glass he'd brought up for her and put it on her small coffee table. The wine, however, he clung to. He turned to her bed and absently he ran a hand over it's spare sheets they were cool to the touch and soft and he wasn't surprised to see there wasn't even a single wrinkle upon their surface. Gene no doubt stuck to her military training even now that she had quarters all her own. He looked up and noticed the tags sitting in a frame beside the bed and immediately recognized them as her own. Somehow it was a little sad to see them hung like a trophy of her past. He picked up the frame and ran his hand over her name and smiled. Gene D. Shepard. He wondered, briefly, what the 'D' stood for but quickly turned his thoughts elsewhere as he heard the shower shut off behind him.

His nerves racing back to the surface he set her tags down where he'd found them and turned toward the shower, suddenly completely clueless as to what to do to set the mood. He wanted everything to be perfect, wanted to give her something that would be wonderful that she could fight for. He found himself faltering until he grasped at something he'd read from one of Maria St. George's books. He wasn't sure which book it was from, the best seller or one of the romance novels, but he remembered something about human women and music. But the door to her shower slid open as he reached for her music display and he panicked and braced himself back by the door, cursing himself for acting like a fifteen year old child even as he did. He summoned up just enough courage to stop his hands from shaking as she stepped out of the bathroom her red hair still slightly limp in it's bun pulled back on her head.

She turned the second she spotted him and he almost felt the world drop out from under him. "Hey...I brought wine. Best I could afford on a vigilante's salary." He moved even as he saw her lips twitch up into a smile and the lightning in her eyes begin to melt. He practically jumped to her control panel as he frantically searched for her music and punched in a song. Satisfied once the music began he stepped back and forced himself to smile and gesture out to her.

The melted flame in her eyes and the humor in her smile made the heat in his chest sink lower and he fought for calm as he spoke once more. "If you were a Turian I'd be complimenting your waist or your fringe. So... your, uh, hair looks good. And your waist is...very supportive." She'd stepped up to him and placed a hand on her hip, and as she spoke she shifted her weight and looked up at him with those eyes of melted lightning and he didn't know why his tongue was still working because it felt as if it had grown to be twice it's normal size. "Hopefully that's not offensive in human culture. Crap. I -"

But she interrupted him with a light gesture and an amused little tilt to her voice. "Woah! Consider me seduced, smooth talker. Now Shut up and stop worrying." She effortlessly moved beside him and shut off the music, leaving them alone with only the sounds of the ship around them. A part of Garrus calmed with the silence and with the knowledge that the full lightning in her eyes was gone. He'd done that...hadn't he? Hadn't he done something right?

"I...I just...I've seen so many things go wrong, Shepard." his mind flew to Omega, to Sidonis and the twins. "My work at C-Sec, what happened with Sidonis..." he saw her expression soften, but her smile remained. She was looking at him with that look of pure affection he'd seen her use when talking about her aunt and he felt something within him break. Though he wasn't sure what.

"I want something to go right. Just once. Just..." she silenced his desperate murmurs by gently placing her hand against the scars upon his face. It made his heart stop beating. She leaned in close to him and he found that all his earlier nerves...his fears over what could go wrong...faded away. He brushed his forehead against hers and felt the warmth of her against his plates as comforting as the flame in her eyes. He reached out to her and took hold of her shoulder, slowly drawing her to him. She fell into him effortlessly, accepting his guidance for once, letting him lead her. It was a new feeling for him, but not an uncomfortable one. It felt like those nights spent in the gym where more often then not he'd wind up with her pinned beneath him. Yet even win he had her at a disadvantage he knew she was winning, knew she was the one still teaching him a thing or two. Gene was definitely a hand's on teacher...and he loved her for it.

He pulled her hair free of it's bun, the damp red locks flowing free like cool wet silk. He combed out each strand with deft hand smiling as he felt more than heard Shepard hum pleasantly against his chest. She touched her hand to his unscarred mandible and ran her hand along it with a fond touch before she settled her hand on his neck and simply stroked through the collar of his shirt. He let out a low guttural sound of appreciation and leaned down to nibble at her neck just above the collar of her Cerberus issue uniform. He ran his hand down the seam of her shirt and pulled down zipper as he went, exposing his favorite white tank beneath. He pulled the shirt back and over her shoulders and then ignore the garment as he spotted his mark at the crook of her neck. He bent and nibbled at the spot gently feeling her skin bristle beneath his touch before Gene shuddered and allowed her body to relax. She pulled at his shirt as he grasped her waist in one hand and her neck in the other and bit and nibbled his way along her shoulder, neck, collar bone and chin before he dipped lower and promptly gave her a small nip at the crest of one breast.

She let out a gasp and then a breathless laugh, "Not fair...my shirt's always off first." she murmured. He noted with pride the deep tone of arousal in her voice and pulled himself away long enough to gaze into her eyes with the same cocky grin of a predator. He shed his shirt and gloves effortlessly and stepped down into the lower half of the Commander's split-level cabin. He held out a hand to her and smiled, "Better?" he asked.

She grinned with mischief and ignored his hand instead choosing to leap the short distance from the top stair to his chest. He nearly fell backward from the surprise force but managed to keep his ground and found himself suddenly accosted by her mouth and hands as they roamed the plates over his chest, sparking fire in their wake. "Much." she mused as she at last brought face up to meet his again. He smiled down at her wrapped his hands around her shoulders, holding her in place and he bent and bit her lower lip in the best imitation of what human's called a 'kiss'. He licked her chin briefly and chuckled as he heard her purr out her approval. She moved her hands to his favorite spot behind his fringe and rubbed fire into his veins. He shuddered and fought from sinking his talons into her flesh as pleasure washed over him.

Instead he reached for her waist and with a deep growl he hoisted her up into his arms. Instinctively she wrapped her legs around his waist and grabbed at his shoulders as he bounced his own grip from waist to lower back and firm sweet ass. "Your turn then." he told her with a grin as she laughed laid a kiss to his brow. He turned with her and set her down with thump onto her bed. She bounced once and laughed running a hand through her hair, melted flame dancing in her eyes. She smiled up at him in challenge as he leaned down onto the bed, kneeling over her. He loved that smile of hers. When she felt like raising the stakes and bringing out just enough of the punk in her to be wicked. It reminded him that the woman beneath him had made the same mistakes he had...that she as much a sinner as himself.

She sat up as he crawled toward her and slowly, deliberately, pulled her tank top free and over her head, showing off the plain black bra beneath. He remembered the last one he'd seen and how he'd shred it to pieces...and was tempted to do so again. He grinned and reached for a strap delighting in the sound as it tore off and fell away. Any other woman might have been annoyed at another ruined piece of clothing. Shepard laughed and reached out to stroke at his neck, reaching up to carefully remove his visor and set it next to her tags beside her bed. When she turned he snapped the other strap and nearly had the bottom one gone as well when she turned back on him and pulled him forward to stare her directly in the eye. She was grinning with wicked intent. "I'm going to start forwarding my underwear charges to you...I hope you realize that." she told him before she promptly bit down at the base of his neck.

Thought vanished from his head as pleasure briefly made his world swim. He felt as if the melted fire in her eyes flowed from her mouth into his body and straight to his groin. It was an intense reaction. And it was something no Turian woman had ever done to him before. No woman had ever loved him enough to mark him in such a way, just as he'd never felt strongly enough to do so.

Until Gene. He groaned and ripped the rest of her bra from her, his hands instantly searching for the delicate flesh of her chest. He rubbed his thumbs over the buds of her nipples and felt her shudder beneath him. She released her grip on his shoulder to send out raspy sound of pleasure. Her body arched into his touch and he absently felt her hand wander down his torso to his waist and the hem of his pants. She tugged at them absently before she dipped her hand beneath and grasped him in a firm and gentle grip that nearly destroyed him.

"Now who's not being fair?" he managed to gasp out as the soft flesh of her hand moved against his throbbing member. She chuckled and sent him a wicked smirk. "You're welcome to try and stop me." she hummed to him, deep and low. His mandibles flashed with his amusement and he felt himself wanting to rise to her challenge. He nibbled his way down from her neck to her breasts and found that a delightful burst of pheromones burst to life as he treasured a rosy nipple with a nibble and gentle lick. Her grip loosened as her body melted against him. Delightful sounds of surrender burst forth from the red head unhampered by her need.

Slowly he removed her hand from the depths of his pants and placed her hand in a safer place on the side of his hip. Gene didn't even seem to notice, her body and mind too distracted by his busy mouth upon her breasts. Garrus was amused to find he could disarm her this way so easily. He had the upper hand for once and he found he rather liked it. He adjusted his body and her, slipping a hand under her lower back to press her bare chest against his as he returned his attention to her neck and away from her breasts. As she scraped against his plates she let a cry of arousal and grabbed hold of him almost painfully, her grip as fierce as if she were hanging on for her life. He reached between them and found the clasp of her belt and the zipper to her pants beneath it. He released both and then reached inside blindly and found himself met with her slick, warm, need.

She let out a gasp as he touched her and then let out a low moan of pleasure as he stroked her as gently as possible. She was soft, by the spirits, she was as soft as velvet and sensitive as well if the glazed look to her eyes was any way to tell. He grinned down at her and was amused at the way she bit her lip every time he brushed against one particular spot in particular. He had no idea what it was, it felt only like the tiniest of nubs just above her entrance, but he saw the way it sent flashes of dark blue across the electric fire of her eyes and delighted in her reaction.

Then at last he pulled his hand free and pulled away from her for the briefest of moments, her growl of frustration loud and clear as he left her alone. He had only just started to pull down her pants and to reveal the dark pair of underwear she wore underneath when she kicked him up and over. He let out a sound of surprise at the sudden attack and gazed on in pure wonder as Shepard hovered over him, her eyes alight with lust and her smile defiant and proud. Her red hair framed her like a wicked halo, wild and bright in the darkness alighting her pale shoulders with the color of flame. "Your turn." she told him simply as she slid down his body, her hands burning twin trails of living flame under his plates and skin as she relieved him of the last of his clothing and left him bare.

When she'd finished she turned and examined him with a look of pure hunger in her eyes. It made him swell with pride. He reached out to her and drew her back to him, nibbling on her bottom lip in his careful way and delighted in the desperate way her hands searched for his neck to need the fire back into life there. He reached for her waist and found no resistance as he finally pulled her free of her pants and underwear, leaving her naked and bare for him to see.

She was pale, pink, and soft and her body bloomed open at his touch like a flower reaching for the light of a star. He groaned with his need to bury himself within her and she laughed against him as she fed off his desires. She let him lift her, her bare hips and skin shivering beneath his touch with anticipation as he slowly pushed himself up into her. She enveloped him and the sweet pleasure of at last having her nearly threw him over the edge and he fought both from diving over into release as well as from hurting her as he clung desperately to his resolve. She was having none of it.

With a warm and wicked laugh and purr of delight she ground herself against him and then drew herself up before spearing herself upon him once more. The action nearly destroyed him and he fought for control by taking hold of her and throwing them both over so that she lay on her back beneath him. He drove into, her enticed by the warmth of her and the sounds of her pleasure. She muttered incoherent words and swore and seemed on the verge of tears as he drove them both on with a sick, sweet friction.

And then in an instant she convulsed and rose up to cling to him, her strength nearly crushing the air out of him. She cried out his name and he felt her walls contract around him as her release rode over her. It was more than enough to destroy him. He lost all thought and bit hard into the mark he'd left on the crook of her neck as he came spilling forth into her and clutching her soft, warm body to him as if afraid she'd simply turn into smoke and he'd wake to find it had all been a dream.

When at last his body relaxed he felt her draw herself away even as his own body returned to it's normal state. She pulled his head up to face her and smiled at him with the look of the victorious. "Well that's some incentive to come back alive. What do you say we go kick some Collector ass and then come back for seconds?"

He laughed and pulled her close to lay a gentle bite on her chin. "Best plan you've ever had."

...

Neross: Okay well I stayed up all night to right this thing so...I'm going to go crash for several hours. Leave me a note telling me what you think. And if you all write in I might just give you another steamy scene before the end.

Until next time my faithful readers, Keep on rocking out!


	20. Morpheus in Daylight

Neross: Hey guys. I'm so sorry it took me so long to post this latest chapter. I got tangled up with finals and real life mumbo jumbo. Mostly having to do with some unpleasant family business and more than pleasant summer get togethers with old friends. In any case my loyal readers I won't keep you. Here's the latest chapter and the next will hopefully be up soon. Thanks again to all of those who took the time to leave me a review and thank you so much for the honest critiques.

Warning: This Fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!

...

The attack on the Collector base was something of a delirious high for Garrus. From the battle in the hold with the machine that destroyed not only a good portion of the cargo hold but the gym attached to it as well. To the meeting where Shepard chose him to lead the second fire team and promptly made him feel as if he were going to shoot himself and molest her all at once. To the moment they found the stolen crew and saved them just in time from being turned into human pulp. To the monster human reaper and Shepard's clear hatred for it fueling it's own destruction as she urged them all on with her endless fire to survive. He particularly liked the moment where she hung up on the Illusive Man, nearly telling him to go to hell, and blew up the Collector base despite his desire to see the station saved.

There had been moments where he thought he might lose her. Moments when it was just the fact that he was there to pull her back from death's doorstep that saved her. Or moments when it was her hand reaching for him that pulled him back from the brink. But at the end of it all, after they had returned to the other side of the Omega 4 relay, Garrus felt as if he had just come off of the best roller-coaster ride of his life.

Everyone had lived. Everyone. And other than the loss of the gym and portions of the cargo hold the Normandy was still in good shape. Not perfect, not anywhere close to where she had been. But like her Commanding officer the ship seemed to fly better with it's new scars. There was an odd shift in the atmosphere after the battle. After all, Shepard had refused the Illusive Man, finally breaking her ties with him. Garrus was unsurprised to see her practically skipping out of the comm room after she was done telling the head of Cerberus off. What did surprise Garrus was how well Miranda was taking the severed bond to her old employer.

Somehow he believed it had something to do with Gene. She had a way of shaking a person to their core. But only time would tell if it stuck with the old Cerberus operative as it had stuck with him. And as Shepard told the crew that they'd stop at Omega for some base repairs before making the jump to the Citadel for the full fix-er-up he caught the look in her eyes. The melted fire as her blue met his. He smiled and waited until the crew all went to collapse after the trip to hell before he made his way to the elevator and up to her domain.

She was waiting for him when he came in, rearranging some dislodged items in his favorite pair of black shorts and white tank top. She turned to him as he entered and set down the odd floating orb-shaped Prothean artifact she'd picked up some time ago on a mission he'd sadly missed out on. She had music playing. Not her usual fare but some old song from Earth's past. The sound of it was low,sweet, and somehow nostalgic. Garrus was quickly reminded of water and green hills and had no idea why. The language the song was sung in was unfamiliar to him and his translator failed to pick up on it. He guessed it was obviously some old dead human tongue and wondered briefly why Shepard of all people would bother to listen to such a thing.

She wiped all thought from his head however as she bounced up the steps and promptly pulled him toward her so she could place a tiny bite on the edge of his chin. "Hell of a day huh?" she asked him.

He smiled gently at her and remembered the way she'd cleaned her way through the Collectors with him on that final push. He could see the bruises she'd suffered for that push now, only just forming on her skin in shades of dark purple and blue. He saw the patches and bandages from their sudden fall and their hell-bent run back to the Normandy to escape the blast meant to take out the Collectors and their base along with them. And he saw with pride the bite mark on her shoulder. He brushed his hand across that mark and let out a pleased sort of purr. "I'm gonna miss the gym." he said absently.

She laughed and took his hand in her own and led him down the steps toward her bed. She pulled him down with her and held onto him, content to simply lay beside him for the moment. "We'll build a new one. How do you feel about one with a window this time? I kind of like the idea of kicking your ass with a starry backdrop. It'd give my conquest a dramatic flare." she mused.

He broke out laughing and absently played with a lock of her hair, enjoying the feel of it in his hand. "I don't know Shepard. A starlit background sounds more romantic than dramatic to me. I might just forget about the lack of door locks and just engage in inappropriate behavior with you."

He felt more than heard her laugh and was pleased to find her hands absently toying with the hem of the shirt he'd thrown on to meet her. "Oh we are definitely going to have to put locks on that damn door. " They both laughed and then the sweet song playing in the background changed to something a bit more sad and he found that Gene had begun to sing along with the song softly against his arm.

"I've met some folks that say that I'm a dreamer. And I've no doubt there's truth in what they say. But sure a body's bound to be a dreamer when all the things he loves are far away. And precious things are dreams unto an exile. They take him o'er the land across the sea. Especially when it happens he's an exile from that dear lovely Isle of Innisfree. And when the moonlight beams across the rooftops of this great city, wondrous though it be. I scarcely feel it's wonder or it's laughter. I'm once again back home in Innisfree." Her voice was low when she sang and though it wasn't as pretty as the voice singing quietly in the background, it wasn't wholly unpleasant to hear turned to sweet rhyming.

He smiled down at her and found her eyes far off and misty with memories. "That's a pretty tune there Commander. Mind sharing with me?"

She rubbed her chin against him and smiled up at him in a lazy and warm way. "It's my Aunt's favorite song. Apparently it's an old song written by an Irish immigrant during America's early days. You know...back when humanity was still relying mostly on coal." Garrus flashed his mandibles in a mixture of amusement at her tone as well as in slight confusion to the brief and vague history lesson. "Okay...maybe I need context. Irish, America...these are ...people?"

Gene chuckled and shook her head. " No...not really. America is an old earth country. Irish is a type of nationality...as in a person that came from Ireland...another old country. I've got some old Irish lineage. Not a lot...but it was enough that my grandmother St. George wanted to pass on some of that heritage down to my Aunt who was interested enough to pass it down to me. You'd like ancient Irish culture. The important women are all tough as nails and the men are warriors bent on protecting land and cattle. Oh...and their mythology used to scare the crap out of me as a kid."

Garrus desperately failed to hide the smirk that speared his features. "Really. You? I don't believe it." She grinned up at him with a matching sort of mischief in her eyes.

"Believe it. Every time someone said 'fairy' I'd jump around and cling to the nearest solid object so I wouldn't get taken away." she chuckled and trailed a hand over a nick on his brow a brief flash of lightning shinning in the depths of her eyes before dying back into the melted flame of affection.

"I thought fairies were tiny flying humans with wings that sprinkled dust and made things fly...at least that's what the extranet page said."

She let out a brief snort of amusement and gently rubbed her hand over his fringe, not seeming to care when his hand came to rest at her lower back and promptly began to massage away the sore muscles found there. "Yeah apparently that's the image that more modern cultures portrayed. Faeries in old Irish myth are like demi-gods. They steal children away and replace them with creatures called changelings that are part faerie and part something else. They can grant you good luck if you're good to them and leave out cream for them on a window sill...or they can steal away young women never to be seen again. They can rip roofs off of houses and steal the breath of a baby as they lay sleeping. Old frightened tales...silly old things. But to a kid it can pretty scary to imagine a creature taking you away from your family and replacing you."

"Yeah... I can see why those sorts of stories might scare the crap out of you." he told her on a nervous laugh. "They sound a bit like the Collector's."

Gene chuckled against his arm. "Then look at me. Conquerer of faeries and rescuer of fair damsels!" she sighed and lifted herself up to gaze down at him with a look that was tired but oddly satisfied. "I deserve some kind of damn magical gun. I'd pull it out of a fucking stone if I had to. Just so long as it sang Sinatra and hit the mark every damn time...no matter where I aimed." She laughed and Garrus grinned and placed a hand against her cheek.

"I could sing Sinatra Gene." She giggled at him and let him ease her down, "And I never miss." he whispered against her neck, feeling her shudder of joy as he nipped his way down to the mark that told the whole galaxy that she was his.

He trailed his hands up gently up her sides taking pleasure in the soft sigh that flowed forth from her. Her hands trailed to fringe where she trailed her fingers with feather soft caresses. He pulled her shirt from her slowly and with each painful inch of skin he exposed he took the time and care to massage and urge the pain, bruises, and tension away. She whimpered underneath him, trying to remain strong despite his urging for her to go limp. When they made love before it was like another spar session, taught with restrained emotions and first time jitters. Not now, now Garrus wanted to take it slow. He could savor the moment now, savor her as he should have done the first time. And the more he did, the more he found she seemed to cry at the feeling.

The scent that poured off of her was arousal, desire, and feminine so he knew she was enjoying it. But her body quivered and her voice was shaky and tears seemed to reluctantly fall from her eyes. He stopped what he was doing and traced a hand down her cheek, worried he'd done something wrong. "You okay?"

She briskly rubbed the tears from the other side of her face and gave him something of a weak smile. "M'fine. Just...god don't make me say it." Her cheeks reddened and she ran a hand through her hair giving him a desperate look of frustration. He smiled back down at her. "Well now you have to tell me." he mused rubbing the pads of his thumbs over her breasts for good measure.

She arched against him and bit her lip before sending him a muted glare. "I'd tell you to stop but I think that would just piss me off more than it would you at this point." Garrus chuckled and bent to nibble at her neck. "Oh good. Then you don't mind if I go right back to what I was doing." he returned to gently stroking her, urging her to relax and just let him ravish her. But she was still his Gene, and giving up control was clearly not something she was used to. Amongst all the sounds of pleasure he pulled forth from her with patient and gentle hands, there were sounds of frustration and impatience. Every time her body tensed, ready to kick him over and take matters into her own hands he would pin her back into place with a direct bite or subtle touch to her most sensitive of spots and she would simply melt back once more.

And then, finally, her body went lax and she gave up fighting him. She let out something like a sigh and a laugh and kissed him as thoroughly as she could. He murmured his approval against her skin and finally was allowed to do with her as he wanted. He smoothed his hands up her thighs in slow agonizing circles that carefully kneaded out the tension in her muscles and smoothed over her bruises. She issued a deep sigh and went limp against him making him smile. Her drew away her shorts and her underwear and gently, carefully, explored this part of her with his hands as well.

She became warm putty in his hands the muscles in her abdomen contracting while the rest of her simply relaxed and trusted in him. His pride swelled, he knew how tough it was for her to give in...to give up control in this way. The simple fact that she did so for him was clear evidence of how much she'd come to care for him. He slipped inside her slowly, pulling her flush against him. She moaned and arched against him her body moving like water against the sheets. The feel of her against him nearly destroyed him and despite his earlier and eager urgings she was now once more alive with that fighting urge.

She ground herself against him and sent stars dancing before his eyes. He moved his hands to her breasts and stroked her into that warm liquid pool once more. When she was quiet and nothing more than a quivering pool upon the bed he began to drive into her. He went slow, each thrust aimed carefully, each move of his hips against hers direct and languidly paced. She whimpered and moaned beneath him her blue eyes a melted season of flame, lightning, and absorbed mist. She called him down to her and held him close as slowly but surely he brought them both to their release.

Neither one had the energy to get up or leave so they lay beside one another until they slowly drifted off. In his dreams Garrus heard the songs of a human language both old and strange from the cool mists of bright green hill. He didn't know when but at some point Gene came and joined him, holding his hand and quietly singing along in that strong voice that seemed unsuited for the gentle tones, but knew them so well it hardly mattered. And by the time he woke Garrus was singing with her.

...

Neross: I had a tough time writing this chapter both to the real life influences and due to my own shaky feelings about this particular chapter. I debated with myself for a long time over whether or not to run through the attack on the Collector base before I finally decided it wouldn't be worth it. I figured if I'm writing a story about the down time in-between I might as well stick to that. So I'm sorry if you were expecting something else but I'm happy with the end product.

Anyway my dear readers don't forget to leave me a review if you'd like me to get up off my butt and update quicker. I've got a well-earned vacation coming up so you guys better hurry or the next chapter won't be up until after the fourth of july...I'm american I've got plans...BIG plans. Remember to let me know what you honestly feel about my story so that I know where to improve.

Until next time readers, keep on rocking out!


	21. Foreboding in Odin's Eye

Neross: I'm really very sorry for my short hiatus my dear readers. I had...well something of a family crisis. Nobody died...but let's just say I was wounded very deeply emotionally and it's taken me awhile to recover enough to get back to writing. I want to thank those of you who left me a review as they are very encouraging and helped me get through my issues long enough to post this latest chapter. I think you're going to enjoy this one.

Warning: This Fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!

...

It took them nearly a week to reach the Citadel due to the constant repairs and clean up that had to be done on the way. But the time passed quickly for Garrus; thanks to Gene's nearly constant presence at his side. The constant re-cabillrations and cleaning kept him busy but since the Commander had decided it'd be a good idea to give everyone a break after almost dying, she had time to spare to help him. She did her best to spend time with the rest of the crew as well. Still, half the time he turned around she was there working with her omnitool behind him, going over the gun codes with her own quick flare and brilliance. He helped Grunt and her make the necessary repairs to the cargo hold and didn't miss the look in her eyes as they patched over the hole drilled into the hull where the door to the gym used to be.

He made it up to her that night however, in her quarters when the rest of the ship was asleep. They'd found a sweet flow to their evenings spent together there. Most nights they laughed together in the joyful explosion that came from the release of not only the day's tension, but the release of the pent up tension from the day's before when they'd been under the Illusive Man's thumb. Now Gene's only allegiance was where it had been before she died. To the Council, to the Alliance, and to her crew. And to him.

In her soft touches, her fevered caresses, and her passionate embrace she said words that they both knew neither of them could say aloud. At least, not yet. Their relationship had been born within the heat of fire and battle and was a fragile union that either could easily shatter with a touch too strong or a blow too precise. So although she never spoke the words; Garrus knew she would never have trusted him in this way if she didn't care for him.

When they at last docked at the Citadel and Gene made full advantage of her Spectre status to have the ship repaired she turned to her crew and told them to take some leave. The result was all too clear. A good deal of them asked for a party as celebration for their rescue, survival and the complete and utter defeat of the Collector's. Shepard was all too happy to agree. Although she made it clear that if any one of them showed up in Cerberus uniform she'd break their nose and send them back to the ship. The crew aptly showed up to Flux in civvies. Garrus had never seen Flux so full, nor the Vollus club owner so happy. The drinks flowed and the crew cheered their good fortune and the brief break from suicidal missions with as much glee as anyone had a right too.

And Garrus found himself cheerfully celebrating his own strange amount of luck with the Commander at his side. She spent the party mostly at his side carefully watching how much alcohol she ingested, clearly remembering another incident involving a celebration and too many drinks. Still there was a warm flush to her cheeks and a misty sort of haze to her eyes that made her body melt against his as they stood side by side at the bar. She watched the crew beside him as the others laughed, cheered, exchanged stories and experiences. Then, rather suddenly, Gene grew rigid beside him and her eyes alert. Both curious and nervous to see what had caused the sudden change in her he followed her line of sight to the club's entrance.

Garrus nearly dropped his drink as his eyes fell over the two individuals currently arguing with the bouncer at the door. Normally the sight might not have been so strange. A human woman and a turian coming in together was hardly newsworthy. But there were several things about the whole situation that made it rather...strange. First was the short, thin, and absolutely vibrant little woman clearly annoyed and bickering with the bouncer. At first glance one could easily mistake her for a child. Her round face and short stature belying the curve of her hips, swell of her chest, and small lines at the corner of her eyes that marked her a full grown woman and not just a juvenile. It was her hair that stuck Garrus however. It was nearly the same color as Gene's, though this woman's hair was clearly a shade lighter and hung in a menagerie of curls and waves upon her shoulders. She wore a respectable, stylish, and clearly Asari designed suit that reminded Garrus all too much of Liara. And the way the tiny woman presented herself reminded him all too clearly of Gene.

The Turian standing beside her was notably calmer and as Gene and Garrus looked on he placed a hand on the woman's shoulder and drew her away from the bouncer as he began to talk to the man instead. The Turian was older; Garrus knew that immediately; but not quite the age of his father. His ruddy red scales and distinctive white facial markings making him seem a fair match for the red-headed woman at his side. His clothes were more casual than the woman's and cut of a deep green with black lining. As Garrus studied him the Turian nodded at the bouncer and then turned a gentle smile at the human woman pouting at his side. And then, rather suddenly, Garrus found himself met with a sharp green gaze as the other Turian turned his attention sharply in his direction.

Garrus was faintly aware of Gene shifting at his side as she set her glass aside and swore under her breath. "Damn...I didn't...what the hell are they doing here. I thought she was doing a damn book tour on Elysium." the Commander muttered, her voice clearly nervous as the two at the door began to head toward them. Garrus felt a lump grow in his throat and felt a chill at the base of his spine. "Shepard?" he asked her, the rest of his question clear. He saw her smile grow hesitant and apologetic. "My Aunt Maria, my Unkle Jaxus. Just...do me a favor and don't say anything about Omega."

He nodded and set his own drink aside as well as the couple finally joined their group. Gene smiled down at the red-head in the blue suit and stepped toward her with her arms open. "Aunt Maria! What are you doing here?" The tiny red-headed woman beamed and ran; practically jumping into Gene's arms as she gripped her in a tight hug. "Gene my darling! Why is that the only thing you can think to ask whenever you see me?" the tiny woman chided, laughter dancing in her sweet, sharp and rather girlish voice. In fact it was a little funny to think that Gene was the one older than the woman standing on her tiptoes in order to remain at eye level with her.

And then with a sweet laugh the smaller woman pulled away and gave Gene a kiss on her cheek. "My book tour ended earlier and we came back to the Citadel. We were all out at dinner when I spotted your posse walking right by the restaurant's front window! I almost ran out without paying." she giggled until the ruddy colored Turian let out a low growl and pulled her back by the edge of her collar. "You DID run out without paying. You were already halfway down the ward by the time I caught you." Garrus turned his attention to the other Turian and found himself met once more with a sharp green gaze as the man slowly released the woman in his grasp. Maria was still smiling despite the chastisement and turned back to her niece with a gleeful chuckle.

"He exaggerates. I was only out the door. So baby girl aren't you going to introduce your friend?" The tone in the small woman's voice had the other Turian sending her a rather worried glance and Gene herself looked rather...perturbed. "Sure. Aunt Maria, Unkle Jaxus," she began with a nod and small smile to the ruddy Turian standing beside the joyful older woman. "This is the weapon's officer on the Normandy, Garrus Vakarian. He was apart of my crew on the original Normandy and was with me when I ...well when I helped...defeat Saren Arterius."

Maria looked absolutely ecstatic as she turned a bright smile toward Garrus and extended her hand. Jaxus merely tilted his head to the side and had the decency to look impressed. Garrus took Maria's hand, shook it, and tried his best to appear humble. "Pleased to meet you. I've read a couple of your books. They were quite good." Maria flushed with pleasure and Garrus was surprised to see a familiar note of lightning in the smaller woman's own blue eyes. "Really? I hope you don't mean my scientific journals. They're really quite dull."

Jaxus flared his mandibles momentarily in a flash of something Garrus couldn't quite identify...he thought a bit of it might have been jealousy. "So you're the ex C-SEC sniper huh? Gene mentioned you were working under Pallin when she recruited you. Did you tell him to go to hell when you quit? I'd always wished I'd done that when I resigned but I never had the time." Garrus stared for a moment at the fellow Turian before he managed a weak laugh, "I didn't get a chance either. I shipped out with the Commander the second she said she could use me."

Jaxus grinned and then his eyes darted briefly to Gene...and her neck before his eyes shot back up and gleamed with a bright note of understanding and displeasure. Garrus felt himself grow cold. But then the look vanished from the green eyes boring holes into his own and Jaxus merely smiled and turned his gaze over the large gathering still laughing and partying away beyond them. "Seems like you guys are having a good time celebrating...something. You don't mind if we join you do you? I'd like to meet the people my niece has been risking life and limb with."

Maria turned to her husband with a knowing smile and took his arm. " Didn't you say you were working with a Drell assassin Gene? I'd love to talk to him about traditional Drell religion. I've always wondered how the Hanar with their devotion to the Enkindlers react to working with a race with a vastly different set of religious beliefs as well as-" Jaxus quickly covered his wife's mouth and chuckled as he led her away. "Come on Maria...let's let Gene do the talking. Otherwise we'll be here all night and we'll never get home in time to relax...properly." A deep red spread over the entire woman's face and then straight to her ears. The effect was rather amusing as a smug grin spread over Jaxus's features and his wife grew silent with embarrassment and a shaky smile.

Gene laughed and led the two off. Garrus lingered for awhile at the bar, nursing his drink as he watched the varied reactions of the crew to the sudden appearance of Shepard's rather extended family. It was rather amusing from an observers point of view. Jaxus, it seemed, said little as his wife eagerly and gleefully met and chatted with each person Shepard introduced her too. There were moments when he spotted hints of the other Turian's state of mind, a flash of jealousy as Thane said something that made Maria turn red in the face again. A distinct flash of worry as Maria brazenly seemed to admire Jack's tattoos and the shotgun strapped to Grunt's side. There was a distinct look of amusement as Maria apparently hit it off magnificently with Mordin, both talking in rather quick succession with matching looks of intellectual delight. Watching as he did, Garrus found himself staring at a man with a similar but rather more difficult situation on his hands. Maria obviously shared Gene's fearless attitude and confident approach...but where Gene was a soldier, a punk, and a warrior with a heart of gold with the barriers a hard life of fighting had forced her to erect; Maria was as open as a flower in full bloom.

She was a person who didn't bother to watch what she said or watch her back. She smiled effortlessly, laughed easily, and was clearly as trusting as a child. Plus the petite woman with the slim stature seemed to move with a boundless amount of energy and little concern for herself. Garrus was reminded of a story told to him late one night within the gym and realized with a laugh that Jaxus no doubt ran behind his wife urging her to take back her clothes even as she gave them away. It was a trait that Gene shared in a way...although Garrus doubted Gene would hand over her own clothing any where as easily as her Aunt. Watching the three together Garrus could see how they fit together. Those two were her family, her substitute mother and father...and Garrus was no doubt doomed.

The look Jaxus had shot him remained imbedded in his mind even as the two interlopers said their goodbyes and left for the night...with a promise to see them all again before they left after the Normandy's repairs. As Gene and Garrus retired for the night, choosing to retire to a nice hotel within the upper wards, the Turian's mind never failed to spin over and over the warning pierced into him by that pair of sharp green eyes.

...

When Garrus woke up the next day he found Gene still asleep in his arms. An unusual occurrence even considering the change in their relationship. Most days she was up before him, dressed or in the shower and already thinking about the day ahead. Today she slept heavily in his arms, her body like a second blanket cradling him, one arm bent and positioned so her hand lay unclenched near her chin. The other lay across his neck and held him to her. Her legs were still intertwined with his own and he found he liked the feel of her hair across his arm as she used it for a pillow. She looked peaceful and disarmed, not something he could say about her when she was awake.

He smiled and drew her closer to him laying a tiny and affectionate bite on the base of her neck. He smiled when he saw how his favorite place to mark her was scarred. The flesh there slightly more pale than the rest of her. She was his...and even if they somehow parted...there would always be his mark there to remind her that she had been his.

After a moment more of gentle nibbling he felt her shift and make a noise not so different from a pleased hum. Her grip on him suddenly tightened and he felt her laughter gurgle up from within her. "If you keep that up we'll be late to lunch with my family." He leaned back to look at her and smiled mischievously. "Well...we can't have that can we?" he murmured trailing his hand to her breast and drawing an illicit moan from her lips.

...

Neross: Well readers, as always, leave me a review if you want me to update quicker. I'll try my hardest to avoid emotional crisis until the next chapter. But in the meantime please let me know what you've thought and give me some clues as to how I can improve or what I'm doing right.

Until next time! Keep on rocking out!


	22. Rapunzel's Years of Blindness

Neross: Thank you very much for the supportive reviews dear readers. I really appreciate them. Unfortunately family issues are still standing so...I'm finding it hard to focus on writing. Thankfully though I'm out of the grieving/depressed stage and now I'm in the 'ticked off' stage. So...dealing. We'll see how things go. In the meantime I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. And remember, if you want me to update faster the best way is to leave me a nice little critiquing review.

Warning: This Fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!

...

They were late to their lunch date. Still, Garrus did not regret their delaying activities in the slightest. Not even when Maria smiled at the both of them knowingly as they ran up and Jaxus shot him a look that made his spine shudder in apprehension.

The older Turian led them into the small little cafe' they'd chosen for their meeting. Garrus was unsurprised when the ex-C-SEC officer managed each detail with the smooth finesse of someone used to getting his way. Garrus envied the easy way Jaxus took control. It was not unlike the way Gene often effortlessly handled situations that would make anyone else sweat under the collar and it endeared the older Turian to him. They sat at a table near a window and Garrus could not help but furrow his brow as Jaxus asked for an extra chair and setting at the table. Garrus noted the way Gene rose an eyebrow but since she said nothing and simply took her seat next to him and across from her uncle. Garrus chose to follow her lead and not question it. Somehow he got the feeling he would be enlightened to their fifth member in time. Maria, however, was much harder to ignore.

Maria beamed at him and looked absolutely enthralled as she sat across from him. It was more than a little unnerving. Her clear blue eyes were different than Gene's straightforward blue fire. Her Aunt had eyes of water that swam constantly with what was, no doubt, a thousand thoughts per second. Curiosity, ingenuity, and fascination were constantly at war in the woman's eyes and it was something of a trial to meet that stare and not immediately look away. She seemed to stare straight through him. He had a feeling he wasn't the first; nor the last; to be unable to meet the woman's straight-on gaze without unease.

The blue-pattern Turian was more than thankful when Gene drew the older woman's attention and started them on a path of conversation he was comfortable with. "Is Arthus joining us today? Last I heard he was still attending classes on cultural studies. He still working on that or did he sign up with C-SEC just to rub my nose in it?" Garrus noted the way both Maria and Jaxus shot a glance both for the chair and then the door, obviously looking for their last companion. Arthus apparently if Gene was correct...and she normally was. Garrus grew curious couldn't help from looking at the family with quiet interest over the edge of his menu.

Jaxus smiled proudly,folded his hands on the table and at last answered his niece's question. "Nah still studying. He does get annoyed with his professors a lot however. He's as impatient as ever." The older Turian shook his head and flared his mandibles in a flash of humor. "I can't imagine who he gets it from." He added, shooting a sly grin at Maria. The tiny human woman tucked a stray strand of unruly, curly, red hair behind her hair and looked bashful. "I have no idea what you're talking about." she murmured in mild embarrassment and amusement. Jaxus smirked and brushed his wife's hair back into her face just to annoy her. "Mm hm. Sure you don't. Do the boy a favor and let him order for himself when he gets here. The last time you picked something out I didn't hear the end of it for a month. Something about 'babying him to death' and 'running away to live with Gene'."

Maria frowned and flipped her hair back with enough attitude to put Miranda to shame, the tips of her ears flashed red. Garrus fought to keep the grin off his face as the little woman poked a finger into Jaxus' chest and glared. "If he doesn't want me to order for him then he should show up on time. Like an adult." Maria's retort was so effortlessly spouted that Garrus lost the fight with his grin and started a new battle with the laughter bubbling up in his abdomen. Somehow he was beginning to guess just who this 'Arthus was'. But for clarification he cleared his throat and sent a charming smile toward Maria. The older human woman turned to him almost in surprise and then smiled brightly, "Sorry, but uh...who is Arthus?" Garrus asked.

Jaxus raised his brows and shot an unreadable glance toward Gene. Gene pointedly remained fixated on her menu and hid her cringe behind it. The elder Turian snorted and leaned back in his chair. "Our son. Maria's and mine. He's Turian. We adopted him after his parents died. Somehow I'm unsurprised that Gene hasn't mentioned him. She probably hasn't mentioned much about anything from the sound of it last night."

Garrus shot a slightly disappointed Gene's way and noted the apologetic look in her eyes. He decided he'd let it slide...for now. "That's fair I guess. I don't think many of us are very forth-coming about our pasts or family on the Normandy. Except when it gets in the way of the mission it wouldn't even come out."

The older Turian smiled reluctantly and shot his niece a look that Garrus couldn't quite interpret. "Play things close to the vest on that ship don't you? I suppose that makes sense all things considered. You decided what to get yet Gene or are you just going to burn a hole in that menu?"

Gene looked up and shot her uncle an annoyed sneer. "Patience is a virtue old man."

"Call me that again and I'll make you eat your own words and you can forget all about the free meal."

"Why do I only ever walk in on you two arguing? Who's the extra body with the messed up face?"

Garrus turned in his seat to face the owner of the arrogant voice that came from over his right shoulder. A young, tall, lanky, pale Turian stood behind him with the darkest green markings Garrus had ever seen. The only problem was, he could not think of a single Turian colony that boasted of deep green markings. Worse still, he knew of no colony that had markings like that this youth wore. He glared down at Garrus with sharp green eyes and watched him as if he'd stolen his favorite snack straight out from under him. Garrus glared right on back, there was something in his eyes that the Turian weapon's officer just could not stand.

He wanted to comment at the clearly younger Turian's rude remark as he sat down at the empty place that had been provided...but missed the chance as Jaxus reached out and simply smacked him upside the head. "What have I told you about being a jackass to your cousin's friends." Garrus stared in surprise at the scene and then turned to Maria who was shaking her head with something of a silly smile and hiding a giggle unsuccessfully behind her hand.

The young turian rubbed the back of his head but didn't have the decency to look apologetic. "Sorry...sir." The ruddy Turian flared his mandibles in irritation and leveled a disapproving look at the boy at his side. "I don't see a reason you need to apologize to me. I wasn't the one you were rude to."

Arthus clearly gritted his teeth and turned with a sharp breath to look at Garrus irritably. "I'm sorry."

Garrus raised his brows and stared at the youth with a critical gaze. He wasn't quite sure what to make of the boy. He had a feeling that there was quite a bit of him that was similar to Gene in her dark moments. No doubt this was Arthus, Maria and Jaxus' missing way the boy carried himself spoke volumes and Garrus couldn't help but notice the way his adopted mother shot him a rather mischievous grin over the edge of her water glass. Clearly the woman was waiting for him to put her son in his place. It was the most abstract moment in the whole of his life. Absently Garrus rolled his head and smirked in a slightly mischievous way. "No problem...I get it a lot since taking a rocket to the face."

Arthus flinched in surprise and then looked sheepish. "I'm sorry." he said one more time, this time sincerely. Garrus merely smiled a bit more gently and nodded absently. Maria sent Garrus a smug and greatly pleased smile.

"We adopted Arthus a couple years after I was named Gene's legal guardian. I was feeling bad for Jaxus. What with him being the only male in the house. Not counting Bambi that is." Maria explained, reaching over to touch her adoptive son's hand affectionately. Arthus gave a wry smile and patted the small hand back before pulling his own away. For her part Maria ignored the action and just continued smiling on at her son with affection.

"And who's Bambi if you don't mind me asking?" Garrus inquired smiling at the blatant love run rampant in the ragtag family. Jaxus chuckled and then made a face. "Bambi was the dog that Maria said followed her home one day. Which was strange considering the fact that it was a purebred German Pincher puppy complete with pedigree papers." Maria pushed out her lower lip in a overly-dramatic pout and turned up her nose. "How was I supposed to know you'd been reading up on human pets on the extranet. Besides you loved that dog. He was as strict with me as you were and bit every salesman that came to our door."

After that their waiter returned to take their orders and the conversation was interrupted. Not that it didn't pick up again. All in all the family seemed to be comfortable with Garrus' presence and included him whenever they could, or whenever he broke into the conversation. Garrus often found that Maria looked to him in almost the same way his teacher's had back in his schooling days; often she led him to a particular discussion or looked to him to break in at the appropriate time. It was clear that she was the one who ran the conversations in the family. Gene spoke little, which Garrus had been expecting, and Jaxus only ever broke into the conversation if it meant correcting or countering something his wife had just said. Arthus seemed just as eager to talk as his adoptive mother, but often found himself suffering for his youth and inexperience. His surly teenage attitude didn't help his case either. The boy's frustration was amusing to see however as Maria effortlessly danced circles around him as the conversation and lunch dragged on. Their meals came and went during the chatter and for the most part Garrus forget what he'd eaten the second it was gone from his plate. He was drawn in by the stories Maria wove about the environment Gene grew up in over the course of that meal. He learned how Arthus had gained his green markings thanks to a design Shepard's mysterious and mostly absent grandmother had created. He learned how Gene had beat up the twins for making fun of Arthus when he was young ( Garrus had had the hardest time keeping quiet about his own experiences with Heather and Kenny when this particular subject came up). And he learned how Jaxus had sentenced Gene to hard labor around the house when he'd learned she'd joined up with the Reds. All in all it was a rather informative and fun time for the Normandy's resident weapon's expert.

And even Arthus seemed to warm up to him after awhile, although the kid still held some sort of animosity in his eyes whenever he looked Garrus' way. Somehow he suspected Arthus might be feeling just the smallest bit of resentment for his close relationship with the woman who was very much his sister. Garrus didn't blame him for the attitude, he would've felt the same under the same circumstances. Eventually the lunch came to a pleasurable end and after some jostling for position it was Maria who ended up paying the bill. They left with some little clamor as chairs were pushed back and the family fought to not only continue the conversation but get themselves together enough to leave. It was quiet chaos as Maria searched for something she'd dropped out of her purse while reminding Arthus to push in his chair. At the same time Jaxus helped his wife gather her things and disagreed with some point Gene had made about the effectiveness of flash-bang grenades. Eventually they all made it to the door however and somehow Maria had talked them into walking back to their hotel together. What's more Garrus could not help but notice the sneaky way the short woman maneuvered both Gene and Arthus to the head of the pack with her, forcing Garrus to walk side-by-side with her husband.

The Normandy weapon's expert made a note never to underestimate Maria's manipulative powers again as he felt Jaxus' heavy hand land on his shoulder and hold him back from the other three. Garrus was nearly sweating by the time Jaxus finally began the conversation he'd been waiting for since the night before.

The ruddy turian gazed at Garrus with an uncertain frown and flared his mandibles in uncertainty. "You know, the first time I saw Maria she was nose deep in an old fashioned book and absent one translator. I thought she was an insane child that'd been thrust onto me to make my life more of a living hell then it was already. It's almost funny considering where we are now."

Garrus watched the older Turian and felt a familiar twinge in his heart. "Not love at first sight I take it." Garrus murmured. Jaxus chuckled and sent him a wicked grin. "You have no idea. That woman used to drive me absolutely crazy."

Garrus smiled as well and nervously placed his hands on his hips. "And now?"

Jaxus laughed and grinned with a leer aimed at his wife's backside. "Now? Now she ...drives me absolutely crazy." The way he murmured the last portion of his statement forced a deep laugh to rumble out from Garrus' chest. " I know what you mean. I used to think Gene would be the death of me...and after awhile well...hell I still think she's going to be the death of me."

Jaxus gave a short breath of laughter and then leveled him with a serious stare, "To be honest I'm no good at this. Gene's the first kid I've ever had to help raise. And damn if she didn't fight me all the way. She fought everybody. It never mattered how you treated her, she was going to do her own thing and to hell with what you wanted for her. It took me kicking her ass to get her to finally listen." He shook his head and turned his gaze to the back of Gene's head. "After that though...she was easier to deal with than Maria. Fighting, punk attitude, bitterness, anger...that I could handle. I understood that on some level. But Maria? You leave her alone for five seconds and she's in the middle of a pack of krogan at a freaking bar on the lower wards discussing fucking breeding rights and the spirits-damn genophage." Jaxus growled and Garrus hid the smirk that wormed it's way up onto his face. Obviously this had been something that had actually taken place if the glare pointed at the back of Maria's head was any indication. The image of Jaxus running after Maria carrying her clothes and furiously encouraging her to stop giving them up to strangers popped into the blue-marked Turian's head and he masked his following snicker as a sneeze.

Jaxus shot him an annoyed frown and Garrus fought back the rest of laughter and gave him an apologetic look in return. "Anyway," the older Turian continued, "What I'm trying to get at is...well. Gene isn't Maria. She doesn't need somebody to fight her battles for her and protect her from her enemies. She needs help protecting herself from...well...herself. It's hard to hurt that girl's feelings... but let all the gods in existence help you if you somehow manage it." Jaxus lowered his voice to a snarl at this point and stopped Garrus cold with his gaze.

The turian sniper felt his stomach clench, but he held the other turian's eyes and gritted his teeth. "I understand." he uttered simply. Jaxus smirked wickedly and clapped him on the back. "Damn sure hope you do. Then again I expect she'd tear you in half before I ever got a chance to. But as a note...from one turian to another in a similar situation." Jaxus took a moment to shoot a nervous glance at his wife before he lowered his voice to a whisper and grinned like one conspirator speaking to another. "Try not to leave a mark in a spot that's seen so often. If you can, try biting her on the inside of the thigh...no one will see it and..." the ruddy turian leered out-right at the curve of his wife's leg. "Well...I guess not humans are the same."

Garrus broke out laughing.

...

They spent a week on the Citadel as the repairs to the Normandy were made. And during that time Garrus and Gene spent most of their time busy either with each other or meeting up with crew-mates for pleasant days of inspecting shops, going to events, or visiting places of interest. More than once Maria and Jaxus joined them on their day-trips. The day they went to the Citadel Museum of Art with Mordin and the turian-human odd-couple was particularly interesting. Maria and Mordin talked endlessly. They argued over the impact of the human modern art movement during the 1990s and early 2000s, they gushed over the similarities of a present day Asari artist and the human Baroque sculptor Bernini, and they discussed the differences between Salarian and Elcor artwork of the last one-hundred years. It was a bit surreal to see Mordin talk with someone who could match him intellectually; who wasn't a Salarian that is. But in the end Garrus was glad to once more board the Normandy and head off.

He was even a bit glad to get back to calibrating, as tireless a task as it seemed at times. In fact, most of the crew seemed happy to be shipping off again ...except perhaps for Joker. But since he was hardly ever happy no one was all that worried that it would effect his piloting skills. Yes, everyone was happy to be back. Or at least...that was Garrus had thought. But as he went to inspect the new gym that first evening back on board he caught a bought of furious screaming. Concerned Garrus picked up his speed and rushed to open the door. Instantly he had to duck as a five-pound weight was sent flying out the door right where his head had been not seconds before. Garrus looked with surprise at the wide-eyed expression Gene war and glared. "Ok Shepard. I'm going to ignore the weight tossed at my head and assume it wasn't meant for me. What the hell is going on?"

Gene clicked her tongue to the back of her teeth in a furious sort of snap and had the decency to look apologetic. " The BASTARD sent a goddamned mission request. You'd think blowing up the collector base and hanging up on him would be enough of a 'fuck you' but no...that son of a bitch still thinks I'm on his fucking PAYROLL." she growled and and kicked the closest item available. Thankfully it was just her water bottle and although the wall soon became soaked nothing was irreparably broken.

Garrus glared at the stream of water and felt a twinge of anger that mirrored Gene's. "The Illusive Man contacted you? Seriously? The hell did he want?"

Gene blew an angry breath out her nose and propped her hand on her hip in a move so filled with attitude that Garrus smiled despite himself. "Apparently he wanted us to deal with some Cerberus facility that's become overrun with pissed-off Geth and some-sort of rogue VI. I seriously doubt that's all it is. It's fucking Cerberus we're talking about...but...damnit if that bastard doesn't know all the right buttons to push."

The turian frowned and took a step toward the agitated woman. "You're not thinking about investigating are you?"

"No. Yes? Fuck, I don't know! I don't want to ignore a potential threat just because the tip came in from ...HIM but as the same time I trust the bastard about as much as I'd trust a vorcha red-sand dealer." She threw her hands up in exasperation and ran them furiously through her hair.

Garrus sighed and stepped toward her, grabbing her by her shoulders and forcing her to look at him. "It's your decision. And I'm with you no matter what. We all are. If you feel you have to go through with it. Then do it. Don't hold back just because the sack of shit who wants you to do it is a sack of a shit. And if you choose not to deal with it then I'll be with you on that too. But whatever you do, don't give him the satisfaction of knowing he's pissed you off. "

Gene chuckled at his statement and the turian couldn't help but grin. "You're too damn good for me."

He responded by nibbling at her chin. "M'really not all that good. I just talk some good game."

She laughed and he could feel the sound reverberate through her chest as he hugged her close to him. "Uh huh. Hey...speaking of...that thing you're doing to my neck?"

"Mmmhmmm?" he asked, continuing his trail of love bites in the direction of his favored spot, the scar at the edge of her neck where it met her shoulder. "Well see...Aunt Maria told me something interesting about Turians ...and biting."

Garrus froze. Slowly, painfully slow, he pulled himself away from her flesh to look her in the eye. She was smiling a rather smug and wicked little grin. A pit formed in his stomach...the look was all too familiar. "What...uh...what did she say?"

"She said enough. You wanna talk about that spar session we had? You know...the one where you bit me after you had me pinned?"

"Yeah. No. I'd really would just rather go back to ravishing you senseless."

"Coward." she laughed.

"Prove it." he murmured against her temple, inciting the melted fire glowing in her eyes.

...

Neross: Alright well I hope you all enjoyed that. We're getting down to the wire here guys so only two to three chapters left. If you want me to finish them faster the best way is to let me know how I'm doing. What am I doing wrong, where am I excelling that sort of thing. Don't be shy and don't go soft on me. I'm a big girl, I can take it. I especially want to know how I'm doing on the OC front. You've got to let me know if I've ruined the whole thing by including them or if the story is better off with them in it. Either way faithful readers I'm off to work on my next piece. Let's just hope it's the last few chapters of this story shall we?

Until next time, keep on rocking out!


	23. The Morgana Reunited

Neross: Alright. So my life has recently turned into a series of unfortunate events. Here's of a list of what's happened to me since I posted the last chapter. 1} Uncle got rushed to the hospital had to go through major cardiac surgery. 2} Discovered my Grandfather has thyroid cancer on top of already having "Smoker's Asthma" as he calls it. 3} My walking virus of a mother destroyed the computer's hard-drive and I lost ALL of my data. 4} Nearly sliced off my finger cooking (something that has NEVER happened to me before)[ Also there was seriously bone showing. My new knives are apparently sharp enough to slice through a potato and then two fingers as if they were warm butter] 5} Burned the same hand not two days later attempting to pour soup into a bowl. …I have but one conclusion. Someone has recently cursed me. *sighs* Well anyway my dear readers, I know it's been awhile. And I sincerely apologize, but ….CLEARLY…I've had my reasons. And this isn't mentioning the good stuff that have kept me busy. Anyway I've kept you long enough, let's get to the story shall we?

Warning: This Fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations.

…

In the end they wound up going to the facility on Aite. Gene didn't bother to explain her reasoning, her dark, complicated mood, could be felt by the entire crew. As they landed on the planet's surface Garrus could feel the burning tension that raged just beneath the surface of Gene's skin. As he followed her to the equipment room he could see the lightning sparkling in her eyes as she tacked on armor and pulled out her favorite gun. Quite Suddenly the Turian felt bad for any Geth they came across. He had a feeling that was why she didn't ask Legion to join the away team.

Instead it was Kasumi that joined them in the hold of the Fire Walker. The thief shot Garrus an understanding and rather wary glance as she climbed up…the weapon's expert didn't blame her. Gene's fast fire was burning as bright as it had on the collector base. Garrus knew, even before they landed, that there would be no mercy for the Geth they were about to face.

He was right too. As they infiltrated the facility and worked there way toward the satellite dish under the VI's control Gene kept her orders short and clipped. What's more, the usual hesitation in her killing blows was gone. More often than not it felt to Garrus as if she were treating this mission the same way she had treated the exercises on Pinnacle Station. There was a cold ruthlessness to the way she took out the synthetics that lied in her path. And when it was all said and done Gene treated the only surviving Cerberus scientist as if he were scum she'd found attached to the bottom of her shoe.

It was all too clear that the Commander suspected the man was up to something. To be honest, he was pretty damn sure too. There was more to the story than what he was telling them, he knew it. But it was rare to see Gene treating someone so harsh on suspicion alone. Oh she wasn't rude, and in all she wasn't nearly as bad as he knew she could be. But she wasn't cheerful or accommodating…or in anyway gentle. Garrus could tell in the way she kept her shoulders, the way her eyes never dropped the flaming sparks of lightning, the way she kept her chin tilted. They were all signs he recognized in her, even if he could only see the conversation going on as he helped Kasumi catalogue the dead.

It was a lot of dead bodies. A lot of civilians that didn't deserve to have died. And no doubt if they had never signed up with Cerberus they never would have. But Garrus tucked away his judgements and joined Gene as picked one of the barrack rooms for them to crash in for the night before they headed out to face the rest of the facility in the morning. Sleep, however, was the furthest thing from Garrus' mind.

Thankfully, he wasn't alone.

When he wandered the facility in the dark hours he found her. But when he did, he wished she hadn't. Her omnitool was open and she was glaring at a phone-vid screen as a silver-haired woman seemed to lecture her. Only, it did not sound like any lecture Garrus had ever heard in his life. It almost sounded like an apology.

"-knew you had to be the first to know. I'll be contacting the rest of the family once we're done here."

Gene seemed to grimace and at last her shoulder's slumped. "Do you even think she can get to the rest of the family? I thought the only ones still on Earth were on my mom's side."

"Just a precaution. We can't…we can't really try to anticipate what she'll do. There's no accounting for insanity after all." the older woman told her in a more gentle tone. Even from his distance, hiding behind a pillar, Garrus could see a similar haunting note of pain in the old woman's blue eyes. Speculation began to run through his head.

"Yeah…you gonna be okay? Seems like you'd be the one she'd …try to see first. After you're last visit she…she sent me a letter. It wasn't flattering to you." Gene looked pale in the darkness…paler than the eavesdropping Turian was used to. Suddenly he felt a cold sensation settle at the base of his spine. He remembered a letter sent to Gene some time ago…a letter that had frightened her to her core in a way he'd never seen. He hoped his sudden suspicions were wrong.

"She won't find me. And if she does I'm….I'm not alone anymore. But enough about me. I'm old and should have died years ago. How have you been? I'm glad to see the rumors about your death were….wrong." There was a question in the old woman's voice, but a similar tilt to the edges of her lips. She looked like an older Gene attempting to feign a smile through leagues of unease.

"It's…complicated. I'm dealing with it though. Got somebody to help with that. Don't suppose you saw him at the funneral?" Gene asked, giving an identical forced smile in return. The more the conversation went on the more Garrus could see old wounds reopening…old pain brought to the forefront of the minds of both women. It was almost painful to watch.

"No I…didn't go. I was…visiting Eden Prime at the time." There was hesitation in the woman's voice and Garrus could see the way long silver hair shifted as she tried to avoid the next onslaught of questioning, sure to come.

"Were you painting?" Gene asked, her smile turning a bit sad…but understanding all the same.

There was a moment of silence on the other end before at last the old woman nodded and pushed her long silver hair from her face. "Yes. I don't suppose the art museum you visited on the citadel had the canvases up yet. I would have liked for you and you're …what should I call the Turian you're er…dating? Is that the right word for it? To see them."

Gene's lips twitched into a disappointed frown. "His name's Garrus, Grandmother…and he's important to me. You need to stop spying on me. I hate it when you automatically know what the hell I've been doing."

There was a noise like a disgruntled acknowledgement as the woman on the other line adjusted some sort of shawl. "Well it gives me some comfort. Allow me that won't you? I'll be needing it now more than ever. I have to go sweetheart. Shall I tell Corina you say hi?"

Gene sighed and looked remiss but forced another smile anyway. "Yes. Tell her to take good care of you. Miss you."

The old woman's smile was more gentle and gracefully heart-breaking when she at last managed one. "Miss you too. I love you Gene." And then the old woman seemed to see something out of the corner of her eye and she flashed a wicked, rebellious grin. "And tell that Turian lover of yours to do the same…and to stop eavesdropping. Talk soon dear. Keep safe." The screen vanished as the older woman ended the call and Garrus swore aloud as Gene turned and shot him a furious glare.

He knew he was in for it before she ever bothered to stand. There was a brief flicker in the air as her biotics flared. Cautiously Garrus stepped into the light and tried desperately to defuse the situation. "So…uh…I take it something happened?"

Gene looked for a second as if she were fighting with several ideas in her head at once. He was almost sure one of them included kicking his ass three ways to tomorrow. But instead she took a deep breath and seemed to calm. She crossed her arms and turned her attention to the dark sky outside the fracture glass of the windows. Once again he noticed the fragile feel about her and the pale quality of her flesh. "My Aunt…Leda…she's escaped from prison."

Garrus froze. He remembered the fear in Gene's eyes the last time she'd uttered that time, the pain, the betrayal, the fury. The only scar Cerberus hadn't healed from her past. He prayed for strength as he crossed the room and stood beside her…fighting with his instincts on what to do. So he did what he knew she needed. He waited for her to go on…to push him away. And when she didn't he pushed instead. "Do you think she'll come after you?"

Gene shook her head and reached out to just …hold his arm. "No. She might want to but…she's smarter than that. She knows I'd kill her."

Garrus took a moment to remind himself to breathe and brushed a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. "You sound awful sure about that."

"Which part?

"The killing her part. Are you sure you'd-"

"In a heartbeat. She's a murderer Garrus. She killed my parents and stole my childhood from me. She's made me doubt portions of myself I never should have. Yes…if I see her…I'll kill her."

There was certainty in her voice. Emotionless certainty. But certainty all the same. Garrus did not doubt her words…but they scarred him. He cupped her cheek and leaned down to brush his forehead against hers, taking a moment to simply feel her. "So… what do you think she will do?" he asked her at length, careful in his tone and how he phrased each word.

She let out something like a desperate sob and gently reached up to cling to his neck. Her voice wavered when she answered him. "I'm not sure. Maybe go after my Grandmother? Maybe the St. George's? Alliance members again…Cerberus agents…there's no way to know for sure. But I don't think she'll get very far…or at least…god I hope not."

The blue-marked Turian pulled back enough to look her in the eye and brush a comforting thumb just beneath her eye. He could see the depths of her eyes swim with emotions she didn't want to feel. It made his heart ache. "Why don't you think she'll get too far? From what I've gathered she sounds rather resourceful."

The Commander let out a huff of mixed irritation and bemusement and placed her hand over his, holding him in a gentle but firm grip that reassured him. "There are a lot of people who want my Aunt dead. From the Alliance to Cerberus to her own bleeding family. And knowing her…she'll want to be found."

"Why?"

"She's a sociopath…she likes the attention." the raw loathing that burned from Shepard's lips was enough to stop Garrus' probing. He took her hand and squeezed it gently in order to break the hold her dark memories held over her. She smiled at him…sweet and sad. He took the chance to gently nip at her bottom lip.

"Then don't think about her. Focus on what's going on here instead. You like fighting right? Well tomorrow why don't we show the Illusive Man just what he'll be in store for should he ever pull something like this again." He told her, allowing humor to lace his tone like a salve.

She grinned up at him, a thankfully warm swirl of fire burning in her eyes. "Yeah…I like that idea. Garrus I…" She hesitated and somehow his heart stopped beating. He knew what she wanted to say and knew he wasn't ready to hear it. Not just yet. So instead he pulled her to him and bit down on his favorite little mark. By the time he pulled back she was like warm pudding in his arms. "I know…c'mon Commander…we've got Geth to destroy tomorrow."

She let out a short chuckle of amusement and took a punch at his arm. "Mood-killer. When we get back to the Normandy you're ass is mine."

"As if it wasn't already?"

"Keep it up Vakarian and I'll make you drive the hover tomorrow."

He grinned viciously. "Is that a promise?"

She hit him in the ribs this time. He didn't mind.

…

The next day was a flurry of activity. As they took out Vulcan station and Prometheus station Garrus could see the tension slowly vanish from the Commander. She was back in her element and the news from the night before seemed to have been nothing more than a bad dream. The Turian was more than glad. The giddy glee of battle fell over her like a warm blanket and she ran with it. Everything seemed like it would be fine. Until the got to Atlas station.

It should have been a normal run. They couldn't have known what would have happened. But that didn't matter to Garrus. When she stumbled from the room and the door closed and locked behind her before he could reach her he felt his feet fall out from under him. Frantically he and Kasumi worked to get the door open. In a near panic the Turian almost opted for taking a shotgun to it. Then…finally. Kasumi got the door open and with frantic feet he flew from the door and down into the heart of the facility, following the trail of destruction Gene had left in her wake.

For the life of him he couldn't stop his chest from hurting. He couldn't hear Kasumi's cries or EDI's pleas over his comm either. All he could hear was his own frantic breathing, all he could see were the shattered remains of the Geth and the droplets of blood he had to hope hadn't come from her. His mind raged, the thought of her lying broken and lifeless refused to leave him alone. He knew she was strong. He trusted her with his life. But the VI had done something to her…and stolen her away. And all he could think about was whether or not he'd find her alive.

And then he heard her voice over the communication channel. He stopped for the briefest of seconds, and then kept running. And then, at last…he found her. She had the good surviving doctor in cuffs and sat monitoring a human wired into so much machinery it was like something out of a nightmare. He stopped only long enough to catch his breath and after a few good moments he could hear Kasumi finally catch up to him. When he looked up at last Gene was staring at him with a smirk and a hand on her hip…but there was softness in her eyes that made the fear of before melt away.

"Take it easy Vakarian. We're done here…well…" she paused and looked sympathetically up at the man strapped into the machine. She formed a fist and looked away; horrified, furious, indignation, and empathy flashed equally across her features. Ghosts of old memories also brimmed to life before dying once more. "Mostly done anyway. I'm waiting for Mordin and Chakwas to ship down before I have the …good doctor…help take David down from the machine. There's too much room for serious error if we try to do it on our own."

She didn't have to add that she didn't trust the Cerberus scientist looking pitiful beside her. Garrus took that as a given. Instead he simply nodded to her and withheld the urge to go to her and simply hold her in his arms. He wanted to touch her; make sure she was real. But he couldn't bring himself to do so. Not in front of Kasumi, and not in the current conditions. But he waited. He waited until they were back on the ship and David was secure in the med-bay. He waited until that night when he and Gene took their meal together in her quarters.

He waited until she'd finished her second glass of wine and he finally downed his first. He waited until she smiled at him with that melted fire in her eyes. And then he let himself give in. And he let himself love her in the way only he could. And he hoped that that would be enough.

….

Neross: Well my dears we have two chapters left. That's right. TWO. But I have a surprise for all of my loyal fans that reach it to the end. A GOOD one. You know…to thank you for being so patient with me. And for being so supportive. But you know. I'll only give you the surprise if we get to that last chapter sooo…you know what to do. Leave me a review. And make it a good one.

Until next time. Keep on rocking out!


	24. Lucifer's Fall

Neross: Okay my dear readers. Here we go! The ending is coming up fast! By the way my dear readers. If you really want to show your appreciation for me and you live in the LA area…I'll be at the Long Beach ComicCon on the 29 and the 30th. I'll be dressed up as an Aperture Scientist and rather easy to spot. So if you spot me, let me know what you think of my writing won't you? If you do stop me to chat I'll let you in on the big secret that comes with the ending of the next chapter. But until then let's get right on to the story shall we?

Warning: This fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!

…..

The week that followed that fateful trip to Aite was filled with a strange tension. Though the shadow of Shepard's past had been avoided for the moment there seemed to be something that weighed heavily on the Commander's heart. She was quiet, nearly distant. It took everything Garrus had not to think it was because of something he'd done. She still let him in, even called him up to her room on occasion…but it always seemed as if she had something she wanted to say that she, for whatever reason, didn't bring up with him.

It was unnerving. And most of the crew seemed to feel it as well. And things didn't ease when they stopped in Batarian space. Garrus knew the second they hit the system that Gene was up to something. If she hadn't been then they would have simply jumped to a relay closer to the Citadel or they would have hit that system's relay immediately and have been gone before anyone could say 'Sol'.

Instead they lingered. And Garrus felt a chill settle upon his gut and spine. Shepard wasn't telling him something…wasn't telling her crew something. He knew better than going to her. So he went to the one person who would know what was going on with her no matter how much she liked to think she was playing things close to the vest. He went to Miranda.

The biotic was at her desk when he entered her quarter's. Busy typing away at a computer screen. What for Garrus didn't know but then again he didn't really want to know when it came to the Ex-Cerberus fangirl. The dark-haired woman looked surprised to see him and actually stood as he came in, her eyes flashing briefly to the digital time display at the corner of her screen.

"Garrus. Can I help you with something?" she asked, as formal as ever despite what they'd been through together. That was fine with him though. He'd rather this stay serious than worry about getting side-tracked by friendly banter. He crossed his arms over his chest and fought the urge to stare the woman down like a suspect in an interrogation room.

"Shepard's up to something and hasn't told me what." He caught the look of exasperation in Miranda's eyes but refrained from getting riled up. It was what she wanted…so he'd leave. He wasn't going to have it. Any of it. Not this time. Not with Gene.

"I'm hardly more privy to the Commander's inner-most thoughts than you are. If anyone on this ship should know what she's plotting it should be you…shouldn't it?" Her tone was superior, goading. It almost had him storming out, but he took a page from Gene's book and remained calm and let the storm simply boil beneath the surface.

"We both know you watch everything Gene does more than anyone else on this ship. I wouldn't be surprised if you watched her MORE than the ship. Just tell me what's going on." the snide jab at Miranda's peeping caused the briefest flash of indignation to show on the woman's face…she masked it well behind a stenciled frown.

"I don't see why you'd come to me first why not-"

"I already asked EDI before I came to you. She'd been ORDERED not to tell me anything. And Joker was only told to hang out in this system until further notice. Kasumi only knows that Gene got a message from Chambers and then took it in her room. Chambers could only tell me that the last time the Commander read her messages she had three. One from family, one from Admiral Hackett, and one from your old employer. So…please…tell me which one I should be worried about." Garrus felt a bit bad at the crest-fallen look on Miranda's face as he listed all the people he'd sought for information before her.

The dark-haired woman hid her disappointment well however and leveled him with a seriously and nearly sympathetic expression. "It's not really my place Garrus. If the Commander-"

"If Shepard is hiding something then it's because she's about to do something stupid and dangerous. I deserve to know if I'm about to lose the person I've been spending my night's with." Despite himself he let some of the desperation he felt seep into his voice and color his plea.

Miranda hesitated for a long time, her eyes searching Garrus almost painfully. Then, with a heavy sigh, the woman sat down at her desk once more and ran a hand through her hair. "Alright. I suppose if anyone deserves to know then it's you."

Garrus couldn't hold back the smile that breached his face and took a step closer to the biotic woman, no longer feeling so agitated now that he'd gotten his way. "Thank you."

She shook her head and looked nearly displeased, "Don't. You won't like what I'm going to tell you. And I'll say to you now that I think it was wise of the Commander to not only agree to this but to not tell the crew."

Garrus frowned again, no longer hiding his irritation with the situation from the woman who did all of Shepard's paperwork. "But me in particular right?"

Miranda grimaced, but nodded. "Hackett called Shepard about an agent of his that had gone missing. Apparently she'd found a Reaper artifact that could prove their existence to the council and then, supposedly, was discovered by the local Batarians and captured. It's a high risk, high security mission that entails a lot of stealth and not a lot of chatter. Hackett requested Shepard go in alone. The Commander agreed."

The Turian felt his blood turn to ice. Gene, alone, on a world filled with hostiles who would love to do nothing more than torture her or kill her. Sometimes he wondered how he kept from strangling her. He made a low growl in the back of throat and clenched his hands at his side to keep from breaking something…most likely Miranda's desk. "That stupid, stubborn little-" he muttered a word in his native tongue he knew a human translator wouldn't pick up on and then gave the woman across from him a short nod. "I appreciate this Miranda."

As he turned to leave he heard the ex-Cerberus operative stand but ignored her plea as he stormed from her office and headed for the elevator. He didn't know how he knew where she'd be. He just followed his gut and found her in the Cargo hold, sitting on a crate next to the drop ship, snapping on the last of her armor. A bag with emergency supplies sat next to her and her face was grim…but resolute. Garrus imagined pulling a rifle from the wall and knocking her out with a couple of concussive rounds. He imagined punching her. He imagined making one good sweep to her neck; like he'd seen Thane do, and knocking her out. He imagined taking her by the shoulder and shaking her, then kissing her senseless until she had no choice but to join him upstairs and ignore what she was about to do. He imagined himself standing at another funeral.

When he reached her he found he had trouble breathing past the lump that had formed in his throat. "Shepard…" he started, his voice angry, pleading, desperate, and furious all at once.

She looked up at him but obviously wasn't surprised to see him. Instead she gave him a grim smile. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

The wind went out of him and his jumbled emotions faded into the background as he wondered what he was ever going to do with her. His hands clenched and unclenched at his side, unsure of what to do as she stood and came to him.

She hugged him and breathed him in and almost on instinct he pulled her in closer and did the same. "Take me with you damnit. Don't make me wait while you go off to fight alone."

He felt her voice tremble as she clung to him, obviously as torn as he. She reached up to stroke fire into life just behind his fringe, burning her essence into him with every touch. "I can't. God I want to…I'd take you with me when I die if I could. Don't hold this against me when I come back."

He buried his face into her hair and for a moment simply revealed in the feel and smell that was her. And then he pulled back, placed his forehead against hers and let her go. "Just come back." he urged her.

She smiled and kissed his scars and then vanished into the drop ship. He watched her go from the view at the cargo-bay elevator and felt his heart leave with her. He didn't pray often…but that night he prayed to whoever would listen that she'd come back to him.

…

She still hadn't returned by the next day. It took everything he had not to start pacing the decks in worry. As the hours inched by he found he could take it no longer. He went to her room so he could be surrounded by the smell of her…the feel of her. So he could ignore the fear that gripped at his spine.

The silence of her quarters was like a tall, cool, glass of water to a dray throat. It didn't even matter that she wasn't there. Because she was all over the space. From the hamster that ran in it's little wheel, to the model ships, to the spare mementos that told the tale of her adventures. It was just what he needed.

He went to her bed and sat in her usual spot. For a moment he simply sat, breathing in the aroma of the room that screamed of the missing Commander. And then he turned his attention to her tags. He picked up the framed slips of metal and ran his hand over the glass. If he'd been a religious person…he might have prayed. Instead he reminisced. He thought back to the time he'd first seen her, all fire pride and swagger.

If he'd known then that his fate lay in her arms…he might have turned and ran. But now he couldn't think of a single thing better.

As he let his mind wander he heard a soft chime from the small office space of Shepard's loft. Curiosity overwrote his normal sense of decorum and he went to investigate the sound. He found the source at Shepard's personal computer. A video message was waiting for her. Garrus frowned, wondering if there had been some news he hadn't been aware of, briefly wondering if Shepard had been making calls …wherever she was.

He shed the idea almost immediately. Gene never made calls in the field. Concerned now, and after a brief debate with himself, Garrus accessed the message. He watched, transfixed, as Shepard's collection of models slid down and out of view and a vid screen replaced it. There was a brief flicker as the screen registered the data it was receiving and then it burst to life.

The image that presented itself to him held him frozen where he stood. He was unsure if he should be afraid…or furious. Shepard, his Gene, clad from head to foot in a skin-tight black suit tinged with lightning blue lining grinned at him from a dark room. A blue screen visor stood out on the left side of her face and her vibrant red hair hung around her face and down her shoulders like a warm, red cascade against the dark background behind her. And there was blood splashed across her pale cheek.

Only…it wasn't Gene. He wasn't sure how he could tell, perhaps it was the shade of her hair. Maybe it was the tone of her skin. But more than likely it was the cold that emanated from her eyes…instead of flame. This woman that grinned down from the vid-screen was as identical to Gene as a twin…and yet not at all the same. The woman was standing in a dark apartment that appeared to have been recently ransacked. What's more there was the gleam of used thermal clips and the tell-tale signs of bodies and furniture thrown hither and thither through the use of biotics. The pistol in this woman's left hand had obviously been apart of whatever scuffle had just taken place…it's barrel was still smoking.

As he watched the woman's lips twitched up in dark amusement and she ran a small, thin hand through that vibrant red hair so similar to the Commander's. "You're not exactly who I was expecting."

Garrus blinked in surprise. He was sure that this was a message…not a call. Yet clearly the woman was staring AT him…addressing him…and sizing him up. After a tense moment Garrus bit back the growl that formed in his throat and simply replied with a touch of snide attitude in return. "Neither are you. What do you want with the Commander?"

"It's something of a family matter…but clearly you're privy to those already aren't you Garrus?" The woman replied, showing no sign that she'd even acknowledged what he'd said. There was no hesitation…she glossed over his attitude as easily as someone might gloss over a properly polite greeting. Her voice made each word seem like a cool blade sliding beneath his plates. A subtle and devious tone of cruel indifference.

He was unnerved that she knew his name. Even more put-off that she was willing to prove she knew exactly who he was and obviously didn't appear to care that he was the one receiving the message and Gene was not. It was made worse because he was still unaware of who this woman was. The only clue he had was that she had something to do with Gene's family. "Who are you?" he snapped, his suspicion clear in his voice.

The woman laughed, and the sound was disconcerting…like the thin and high-pitched trill of some dark bird in the night. "No I don't suppose she would have mentioned me. The name's Shyla St. George. Gene's younger cousin…think of me as the black sheep of the family."

Garrus hid the bristle as he tried to make the connection. He wondered if Maria and Jaxus had another adopted child he hadn't heard about. He doubted it. He filed the information away to analyze later. He had other priorities at the moment, along with a memo to himself to ask Gene what 'Black Sheep' meant. "Nice to meet you. Why are you calling?"

The blunt question only made the smirk return to the woman's features. She placed a hand on her petite hip and shifted her weight. She made a nonchalant gesture with her pistol and grinned, flashing teeth that looked dangerously pointed. "Gene asked me for a favor. I was calling to let her know I'd gotten it done. Since I've clearly missed her you'll just have to tell her for me."

The turian hesitated weighing the baited response he knew she wanted to hear on his tongue before at last he swallowed the lump in throat. "What was the favor?"

Shyla laughed again, sending chills running down Garrus' spine. Then she pulled a piece of bright blue cloth from the floor, out of the camera's line of sight. The fabric was stained red and a series of black numbers were listed across the rag in uniform precision. Ice gripped Garrus' heart as pieces began to fall together in his head. Words spoken on Aite returned to him from out of the dark. 'She might want to but…she's smarter than that. She knows I'd kill her.'

A fist formed at his side as the woman staring at him from the screen sent him a chilling smile. "Just let her know that she won't have to get her hands dirty dealing with the bogey woman of her childhood." There was no glee in the dark-clad woman's voice…but there was a sort of grim humor that made him sick. He was quiet for awhile just staring down this dark, cold, bitter reflection of the woman he loved…before at last he looked away from her.

"I'll let her know." he told her simply.

Shyla chuckled, the sound a bit softer but no-less unnerving than her laugh. "What a pair you must make. Such nobility makes me want to gag. Ta for now lover-boy." And then the call was cut and the screen went black.

Garrus stared at the empty screen for a long moment before he sent it away. He spent the rest of his time waiting for Gene to return in the dark…wondering if somehow he'd fallen asleep and wandered into a nightmare.

…

When Gene finally set foot on the Normandy again…everything seemed to have changed. The Commander was distant the weight of hundred of thousand of lives weighing on her conscience.

They all knew now there was no choice in what awaited them. Shepard didn't even have to tell Joker what course to set. Still the pilot plotted out the longest possible route to return to Earth. The tension and quiet on the ship was palpable. Somehow everyone seemed to sense that now they were waiting…hanging on a precipice and left staring at the abyss before them without a way to turn back.

Garrus watched it all as if somehow removed. His mind stuck not on Shepard's upcoming trial…but the conversation he'd had with the Commander's dark reflection. He knew he had to tell her…but he had no idea how without tearing apart everything he'd come to respect and expect in her.

In the end it was fate that decided for him. And it was fitting that the setting for their confrontation was the gym. He found her there, beating up on the punching bag in that outfit he loved so much. He could hear the pain in her voice …and the anger…and wondered if he was doing her a disservice by adding to that grief.

Still he found himself walking into the gym, for the first time wondering if this fragile union he'd created with the woman before him would fail. She stopped what she was doing the second she spotted him and looked at him with darkness lingering in her eyes, pain foremost in her heart. She reached out a hand and stopped the punching bag she'd been abusing from swinging back and hitting her as she stepped around it to greet him.

There was a tentative longing in the way she smiled at him, and it felt like a knife in his heart as he caught the way it wavered upon her lips. "Hey there handsome…care to help me take my mind off my upcoming trial?"

He gave her a sympathetic glance and forced himself to smile at her gently. "I'd love to Shepard…but I've got something I need to tell you."

She stared at him, apprehension in her gaze. He could see the way her mind worked to figure out what could gone wrong. He could almost see the list of the dead that flashed through her mind. "I received a message left for you while you were gone…from you're cousin Shyla."

Gene's eyes flared up in surprise and then lowered in a look of grim acceptance. She clasped a hand at her side into a fist and seemed to hold back from dipping into her biotic recesses in the sudden surge of emotions that clearly swept across her face. "What did she say?"

Garrus tried hard to keep his voice light, supportive, and neutral. "Not much. But the implication was that you're Aunt Leda is dead thanks to her….and that you asked her to do it."

The look of surprise on Gene's face was sudden…and genuine. It threw Garrus for a loop as he watched the Commander order a sudden bought of rather frantic thoughts. "Damnit I didn't…why would she? …She's…dead…God…I never thought it'd be that easy."She clasped a hand over her face and hid her eyes from view.

But Garrus could see the sudden shivering of her shoulders, the way her mouth twisted in fury and grief…and horror. He went to her instantly and pulled her to him. She froze for a brief second and then melted into his embrace, clinging to him out of deep emotions.

After a moment that was spent in tense silence as the Commander recollected herself and the Turian attempted to soothe her, he at last chose to break through his own hesitation. "Did you ask your cousin to murder your Aunt?" he asked her bluntly, knowing that it was the best way to cut through the suspicions brewing in his heart.

He felt her shake her head, 'no', and then felt her pull away enough to stare at him, the feel of her muscles taut in his hands. "No. If I was going to kill her I'd do it myself. I just…I just wanted to make sure she didn't go after what was important to me. I asked Shyla…I asked her to keep the St. George's safe. That's all."

Garrus cupped her cheek and forced her to stare him in the eye, needing to see the truth within the mixed and troubled flames. "You had no idea she'd kill her."

Gene took a deep breath and then let out a heavy sigh, clutching his hand in her own. "Shyla's an assassin. I knew that if trouble came up…her first reaction would be to stamp it out. But I didn't think that she'd go out of her way to kill Leda." She bit her lip, and leaned into his touch her other hand reaching for his neck to bring just that much closer. "Maybe…maybe Leda had money on her head…enough to motivate Shyla to take her out. That's …the only thing I can think of."

He believed her. He needed to. So he pulled her in close and finally let the relief come. "Then I'll just be glad that it's over and done …and that you're safe."

He felt her tremble and with a gentle caress she encouraged him to look at her long enough for her to land a kiss upon his scarred mandible. "Then let's just…let's get my mind off this terrible day."

…

Neross: Alright my dears. It's almost here! The only thing left is the final chapter and the end. Oh! And let's not forget the surprise. So if you want to finally see the conclusion of this long and arduous story you know what to do. Let me hear from you and know what I need to do to end this as perfectly as possible.

Until it all ends, keep on rocking out!


	25. The End of Days

Neross: Alright how about we just skip past my excuses and skip right on to the end shall we? Because that's what this is my loyal readers. The End. The last chapter. After this there will be no more. So…let's get to it shall we?

Warning: This fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!

…

Perhaps it was fate that led him to her but Garrus honestly believed it was just instinct. They'd entered what the humans called the Local Cluster only hours ago. But Shepard hadn't been on deck to see it since the arrival. As they inched closer to the human home-world the tension upon the ship became palpable and each person began to look to Gene for some sort of sign or guidance. However, she was nowhere to be found.

Somehow Garrus wasn't surprised. She was about to be put on trial for something she couldn't have avoided. Couldn't have stopped. And something she had tried her hardest to come to terms with. Everyone else thought she was dealing with it well. Regretful but affirmed in her actions. The Turian weapon specialist knew her well enough to know it was just an act.

That didn't mean he wasn't surprised when he found her waiting for him in his quarters, sitting upon the edge of his work counsel, facing the door with her nose pointed at her shoes. And god help him she was wearing a dress. He felt like stroking away the uncertainty in her eyes…and dragging her down to the gym for one last good fight.

But there wasn't time. Spirits help him there was never enough time in this screwed up universe. So he simply went to her and did exactly what he wanted, and what she needed. He wrapped her in his arms and traced the mark on her neck with a gentle nibble and a stroke of his thumb.

She let out a sound like a sob mixed with a sigh and held him to her rubbing her face into his shoulder. She ran her hands and mouth over his face, his fringe, and his neck, as if trying to remember every part of him. Her guilt poured from her. He felt it in the way her muscles tensed and how her body refused to simply accept him. In this moment, she seemed to want to hold on to everything that was him.

He pulled back and placed his forehead against hers, holding her face in her hands to make her stay still. "Gene…"

"Don't say it. God…please. Don't say anything. I don't know what's worse. Thinking that I'll be convicted and this will be the last time I'll get to see you. Or thinking, for even a moment, that it's what I deserve for what I've done."

"Shepard you did all you could. If you hadn't the Reapers-"

"They're coming anyway! Did I really do anything by simply delaying them? And how long do you think they'll be stuck out in dark-space? God was it really worth sacrificing so many lives?"

"Gene …look at me."

She did and he noticed the dull embers of blue flame flickering helplessly against her despair and shame. "Do you really think sitting here and mulling over your guilt will make their sacrifice worth it? If you really think it was the wrong course to take than make it up to them. Defeat the Reapers, stop their cycle of destruction, and save the universe…again. Make every life lost in that explosion something those cheap pieces of space-metal will never forget."

He paused for a moment and simply stared at him, and then grinned, her eyes sparkling full of melted flame and lightning. "Sounds kinda tough…" she muttered her lips twisting in something of a wicked smile. "I might need some help getting all that done."

He grinned and bent to lay a gentle bite upon a small white mark upon her shoulder before he took her hand and cupped her cheek. "I'll be here."

….

Neross: Thanks for reading everybody, and now, the surprise I promised all of you. A quick preview of two upcoming fics I've got coming in the next couple of months.

The first is called Cultural Studies and is a prequel to Fighting Urges. It takes place in the Mass Effect Universe some twenty years before the events of Mass Effect 1 and is heavily centered around Maria St. George, Jaxus Vikil, and their misadventures upon the Citadel. Enjoy this little preview my faithful readers.

…

"A Krogan. Damnit. Why did it have to be a Krogan?" Jaxus muttered, finally catching sight of red-hair amongst a mass of multi-colored muscle. He didn't know whether to take it as a bad or a good sign that the enormous brutes were smiling down at the petite human encircled by them. "Bad. It's gotta be bad considering it's her." he told himself. He pushed his way through the writhing throng of dancers and desperately made his way toward Maria and her dangerous entourage.

As he neared them he nearly tripped over himself in shock as he picked up the tail end of whatever Maria had been droning on about. "-just think that it might be easier if male humans worked that way. I could never understand all the mixed signals and subtext when I was in school. I didn't even know what it meant when you stuck a tie in the door-lock until I accidentally walked in on my college roommate consummating her relationship with her Applied Physics tutor."

"You think it'd be better for males to kill each over females?"

"I dunno Wrex, I think that might just toughen up some of these softer aliens. Just think if you caught two Volus fighting it out over an Asari."

"Ha! That I'd pay to see."

"You two are truly juvenile."

"No! No! Really I think the only reason humanity's population has grown at the rate it has is because our system of courtship is so outdated, formal, and convoluted. If males simply fought over females or, even, the other way around well? Just think! The population might triple over night."

"Or halve itself. You ever see two Krogan beat each other to death over a fertile female. Entertaining sure, but not very effective at raising our numbers."

"And that's the other thing! This Genophage, it lowers birth-rates correct?"

"Of course it does. Haven't you read any history other than your own?"

"Oh I have! But each race has it's own take on the matter and since there are no human books on the subject I've had to-"

Jaxus wrapped a hand around Maria's mouth and glared down at the human who continued to mutter past his hand for a few seconds before she finally stopped to look up at him. He noticed, rather furiously, that her pupils were dilated and her face was flushed nearly as red as her hair. "Damnit Maria. I was only gone for five minutes. How did you manage all of ….THIS, in five minutes?" the C-SEC officer snarled flaring his mandibles in his frustration and anger.

The petite woman only smiled at him in a sloppy sort of way and gesture with the light-blue drink in her hand he hadn't seen as he'd crossed the floor. "Jaxus! There you are! I ordered a drink while I was waiting for you and these lovely gentleman came in and I absolutely HAD to hear about this Salarian Breeding Contract they'd read about on the extranet that-"

"Stop…just…stop talking for five seconds. How much have you had to drink?" he asked, this time speaking a tad more slow, hoping to get her to understand. Her lips took a downturn and she shot her blue eyes to the floor to gaze at her shoes in what Jaxus assumed was a guilty expression. "Well this is just my second and I swear the first was something familiar….ish."

Jaxus eyed the drink, took it from her, sniffed it, and then winced. "Damnit Maria, have you been drinking Asari cocktails?"

She let out a small titter of amusement and snatched back her drink, knocking it back before he could take it from her again. Two of the Krogan broke out laughing, the third simply chuckled and shook his head. The ruddy Turian glared at his charge as she handed the empty glass back to him and grinned victoriously. "It kind of tastes like raspberries…a favorite of mine I'll admit. No alcoholic after-taste either which is nice. Although the way it makes my whole mind light up in warmth is truly just…amazing. You know, I'd try a Turian drink next if I weren't aware of the fact that it would kill me."

The oldest of the three Krogan, a badly scarred red individual with a wicked smile and a nasty looking piece on his hip, grinned and patted Maria encouragingly on the shoulder. "You got some guts for someone so small, human. You and the Turian dating or something?"

Maria laughed and shook out her already wild hair, like a bird ruffling it's feathers, she tugged on a strand and looked absolutely dazed. "Oh goodness no! He's just my bodyguard." she stopped for a moment and then made a strange, strained sound with her lips that dissolved into a giggle fit. Then she leaned in closer to the Red Krogan and told him in a staged whisper, "He guards my body."

All three Krogan burst out laughing, although the red one she addressed spared Jaxus a momentary look of sympathy in-between his deep breaths of humor. Jaxus grabbed Maria by the collar of her shirt and then through all propriety out the window when she stumbled back and grinned up at him like a child. He knelt down, grabbed her around her knees and swung her up and over his shoulder. "Alright, clearly somebody's had enough fun for one night. We're leaving."

Maria, only managed a strangled sort of sound and for a moment the Turian wondered if he'd somehow hurt her when he heard her moan….loudly.

He could still hear the laughter of the three Krogan in his mind long after he'd beat his hasty retreat from the club. Thankfully for him, Maria had at last shut her mouth.

…

Neross: Alright so there's your little preview of Cultural Studies. Up next is a preview of another upcoming fix of mine entitled Hummingbird's Suicide. This fic is a Dragon Age fanfiction that takes place Before, During, and After Dragon Age Origins and Awakening. The main character is my F!Surana Warden as well as Zevran Arainai and Nathaniel Howe. Have a look and enjoy.

…

Tearanae felt a great deal of pain those first few days she spent outside of the tower, marching toward Ostagar. In the tower she had slept often, wandering about the fade like a lost waif called to the sea. Her studies were done in quiet solitude. So often it was that her practice hours were down swiftly and alone with only an older mage as tutor; down in the bowels of the tower where the target dummies and baths were housed.

She had kept herself fit only by running the halls of the tower at night, when none save the templars could see. In truth she would have loved to have been a rogue. And there were many times when she'd try to sneak about in shadows or pick a lock only to fail spectacularly. Cullen had found it to be an endearing trait of hers. Jowan, however, had called such activities a distraction from her studies.

She did not care what the human said however. He did not have her talent, nor her experience. She was ready for her harrowing long before the First Enchanter ever called her to that secluded place.

Still her nightly runs had not prepared her for the endless march of the open road. Her days spent sleeping upon a soft bed in the tower were gone as she traveled with Duncan to the south. But it was not all bad and Tearanae found that she much preferred the freedom and the subtle warmth of a good meal and hardy blanket than the comforts of the tower. On the road she slept with stars overhead and birds singing lullabies to ease her fevered nightmares.

Here the sun shone upon her skin and gave it warmth. Here she did not feel a constant gaze upon her, nor the feel of harsh stone beneath her feet. Here she was free to roam and romp and run and live however she deemed to. Well, to an extent at any rate. She was ever mindful of her new guardian, and the new task set before her. But as the days went on the elf found it entirely too entertaining to simply test the limits of what Duncan would tolerate in her new-found freedom.

He allowed her much, even smiled when she asked if he could lend her a sword so she might test it's weight. In the end she found she only annoyed him when she dallied from their set route and destination. After learning this she did her best to avoid doing so again. After all she owed much to Duncan and had no real intent on angering him.

After awhile she grew found of the man and even asked him to teach her something about swordplay. He found it an odd request, since her staff was fine and she was more than adept at wielding it, but still he relented in the end. He showed her simple movements, practices he could teach to her that would encourage her skill to grow. To be honest, she was terrible in the beginning. Each stroke felt awkward and lumbering, and even by the time they arrived at Ostagar she had hardly improved.

It was simply enough that he had allowed this, had given her something to use in battle that was not reliant upon magic. For the first time Tearanae reveled in the feel of her aching muscles and tired limbs. For the first time she was glad for the strain on not her mind and spirit, but on her physical body. It was exhilarating.

…..

Neross: Okay my loyal readers. I'm afraid that's the end. There is no more…for now. Give me enough time with ME3 and I may write a sequel. We'll see. For now this is the end. I ask only that you continue to let me know how you honestly feel about my writing and any mistakes you feel I might have made. To be honest I'm a little ashamed of how long this took me, as I had originally intended to finish this much sooner. Ah, but that's life. In any case my lovely readers it has been a wonderful time hearing from you and receiving such amazing feed-back. Please check back in with me soon, you may find I have a few new surprises for you.

Until next time, Keep on Rocking Out!


	26. The Next Life

Alright my dear readers. I just couldn't leave you alone after that short goodbye in the last chapter. So I thought I'd sit down and give my thanks for all of my wonderful readers and reviewers as well as the people in my life who helped to inspire me.

Special Thanks To :

My Mother for always being there for me and teaching me what it really means to be a woman and to be strong.

My Father for teaching me the two greatest lessons life will ever teach a person. That love lives on even after the people we love are gone. And that no one can avoid death.

To my Sister, with all the love in my heart.

To my Cousins Nick, Cassie, and Amy for giving me the support I needed when I needed it most.

To my Cousin Dan for his courage and his quiet inspiring nature.

And to my friends who always put up with my little eccentricities.

Reviewer Thanks and Response :

Chapter 1 -

darkerego ] Thank you for the positive, if short, encouragement.

HeatSink ] I hope you enjoyed the rest of the chapters as much as the first and that they were worth waiting for.

obsydiandreams ] In case you didn't notice, I also have a soft spot for Garrus. It's the scars…I have a weakness for them.

FancyLadySnackCake ] Thank you for the wonderful compliments. It's always encouraging to hear I haven't screwed up, especially when it comes to an established character's personality.

Neva ] It's fine that English isn't your strong suit. It's not mine either. Most of the time I speak in utter gibberish.

Chapter 2 -

obsydiandreams ] Good to see you stuck with me to chapter 2, I hope you enjoyed the entire story just as much as the first few chapters.

Neva ] I was hoping to go for the feel of friends in the beginning, with the lingering tension of something more. I'm glad I was able to convey that to at least one person. Thank you so much for the constructive review.

RayneEthelwulf ] I dunno, if I had to go for most AWESOME Turian ever…I'd have to go with Nihilus…but that's maybe because he paved the path for my obsession with Garrus. Who knows?

Yamiro ] Yeah I know, I messed up Shepard's name in the first few chapters. I blame my spellcheck and autocorrecting type settings. Thank you so much for pointing it out though. I really wish more people did that. I know I tend to miss things when I type.

Kallmered ] Yeah, I really did feel like the love-triangle thing was a bit over-done. Plus…I really did kill Kaiden in the game. He just annoyed me to no end. No offense to Kaiden fans out there. I think he's a perfectly fine character…I just got annoyed with him.

FancyLadySnackCakes ] Glad to see somebody actually pays attention to my profile as well as the story itself. I hope you enjoyed Why Don't You Do Right as much as Fighting Urges.

Chapter 3-

Shukumei-of-another-world ] Glad to see I kept your attention enough to keep you coming back for more. Makes me feel a little bit like a drug dealer though. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

HeatSink ] Thank you very much. I enjoy how I write Garrus as well.

MyHeartIsObsidian ] I'm not sure if "dark minded" is the right word for it but I do enjoy the more dramatic and realistic elements of story-telling and I'm surely not shy of dark subject matter. Thank you very much for reading and leaving me with an encouraging review. I hope you enjoyed the story.

Siha Shap ] In truth I like to think that there is a certain baseline for how Shepard's character should be like. I mean even if you're a woman you're supposed to be this seasoned solider, trained, and truly capable of taking command. It's tying that into a person that would make the decisions I would make that's the fun and the challenge. Gene Shepard is honestly how I see Shepard….well…an earthborn, Warhero shep anyway.

RayneEthelwulf ] If I had to be sexually harassed by anyone Garrus certainly would be at the top of my list.

HatefulHeart ] Thank you for the short and encouraging review. I hope you enjoyed the finished project.

Neva ] Sometimes I like to think I'm funny. It's good to know I'm not the only one.

Naught ] Well, Jenkins did have a way with words. Thanks for the amusing review.

Kallmered ] I don't know if I'd say 'dirty' maybe just titular….oh god I'm sorry. *chuckles*

Chaper 4 -

RayneEthelwulf ] Family always does don't they?

Neva ] Glad I can add a little pleasure to your life. Thanks for sticking with me.

Not Sick Nobody's Darling ] Thank you so much for your honest opinion. Honestly your's was probably the best review I've ever gotten. As much as I do truly love the glowing praise I love it even more when somebody points out what I've done wrong. Thanks to you I learned about how to better the experience of my readers and that's a gift that keeps on giving. ( although if I had say I'd say that ' sick little darlings' sounds a bit more Sweeney Todd than Anne Rice, after all Anne Rice is classy )

Chapter 5 -

Shukumei-of-another-world ] Well I do at least try to follow the rules of proper grammar. I don't always succeed but I'm glad people notice when I get it right. As for the twins I'd say their look is less 'punk' and more a mix of cyber-punk and steam -punk. Which is how I see gangsters and "punks" as in punk kids dressing in the Mass Effect world.

HeatSink ] Oh god…somebody actually liked that joke. I think I wrote in at around 3 in the morning. My exact words when I posted that chapter were ' Whelp there goes the worst joke I've ever written'. Glad to know it amused someone. XD

Siha Shap ] Oh the Twins live and god no. I imagine Shepard clones as equalling something terrible. The Twins are more like what would happen if ( and dear god I can't believe I'm using this as a reference ) if the Hitachi twins from Ouran High School Host Club got to be mercenaries.

strangegibbon ] Interesting to know that I amused someone with a discerning palate for fanfiction. Thank you so much for the encouraging review.

RayneEthelwulf ] I think the best way to do an OC, if you're going to do one, is to make one an interesting but otherwise inconsequential character that a reader can find some humor with and then mostly forget. Unless, you know, they're the main characters in which case then you have to flush them out and make sure the reader remembers them off the bat. I don't know, I just feel like a lot of people fall into the trap of making every OC they write an 'OMG I'm a special little snowflake' because they feel like they can't let that character down or something…..I dunno now I'm rambling.

Chapter 6 -

Shukumei-of-another-world ] Yeah the plan was to have the twins act as a sort of uplifting yet conflicting side bar in Garrus' life. His crew however…I feel as if they'd mean more to him. And since they have names and were actually apart of the game I just didn't want to take away from the in-game impact they seemed to have had on our favorite blue-marked turian.

ErsbethShadowSong ] Well to be honest I felt I had to somehow address what could have helped lead to Sidonis' betrayal and since I had nothing to go off of I just wanted to subtly give hints that things weren't perfect between him and Garrus. As for the rumors, when I did my play through and when I imagine Gene going through the process of finding and recruiting those on the dossiers I imagine her going for Dr. Solus first. And if that's the case then there were a ton of people she came across that could have easily spread the news. What's more if Aria knew about Shepard before she landed then I imagined that others could probably at the very least start some rumors about it. Rumors are, after all, just rumors and they do tend to fly faster than the wind.

Chapter 7 -

Shukumei-of-another-world ] Thank you very much for the compliment, and don't worry about it. It's taken me years to get this good at describing movements and I'm still trying to improve. Writing is all about the practice. About the biting though, I was trying to imagine how Turians would show affection since it doesn't really seem like they'd kiss much ( what with the mandibles and the uh…turtle mouth…) so I thought about the developers had said. Since Turians are based off birds and ancient raptors I figured that ( like some birds of prey ) Turians might show their affection by a gentle sort of nipping. And, ( like some reptiles ) do some sort of biting/ clinging thing during uh…the deed. But hey that's just me. Most of the time I make this stuff up as I go along.

Songilan ] Thank you so much for your honest criticism, honestly it's the best thing in the world for me. As for the fight, well, Garrus is a guy and more than that he'd just come out of a tough emotionally draining/ turbulent situation so I imagined he'd be a bit on edge. For the most part it really wasn't him initiating the fight, it was Gene. She wanted him to get violent with her and she manipulated him into that fight so that they could both work out their issues. It may not make much sense, but that's Gene. She's a bit of a rough n' tumble type of gal who works out her issues better through punching the crap out of something than by talking about it.

Fendie ] Glad I made you smile. I hope you have many more.

softcorecurls ] I also like sexual tension. It's why I write a ton of it. Glad you enjoyed it.

RayneEthelwulf ] Thank you very much for the birthday wishes and the encouragement.

Chapter 8 -

Danish Existence ] Thank you so much for the encouraging review, especially since it was the only one I received for this particular chapter. It was just what I needed at the time.

Chapter 9 -

MyHeartIsObsidian ] So, from personal experience, flailing is a fun way to pass the time isn't it? :D

Chapter 10 -

2009 ] Yeah…no review is just that ' no review '. But thanks for breaking from your routine to give me a shout out. I always appreciate it.

Ely779 ] I wouldn't be much of a writer if I couldn't engage my readers. Thanks for the lovely review.

Silver-06 ] It's more or less ' third person' rather than Garrus' POV but I did definitely focus on him rather than Gene. Thanks for reading and leaving me a nice review.

popo Shepard ] Always happy to give away smiles. Thanks for the review.

RayneEthelwulf ] Don't pout your reviews were always the highlight of my day.

Chapter 11 -

Kojishi ] Thanks for leaving me a wonderful review and glad to know someone was concerned I might lose my way and fall to that evil vixen known as Portal and Valve.

Chapter 12 -

femgade ] It's not a good story if there's not some drama and just the tiniest bits of jealousy. That's what makes love great… it's selfish.

RayneEthelwulf ] Ah a western fan huh? I'm more of a modern day/ scottish/irish fantasy type of gal.

M-Angel ] Sorry if I never got around to reading or reviewing your story if I didn't. If I did then uh…thank you and your welcome?

Chapter 13 -

Shukumei-of-another-world ] I do try. Glad to know you appreciate a nicely written back-story.

2009 ] Oh yeah it does get brought up again. It's pretty much Gene's main conflicting issue so it kind of had to be brought up again.

GrimsonAshes ] I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter as much as you. Good to hear that I wrote something that tugged a cord with someone. It is my job after all. ( and that was my favorite line to. I really debated over how Garrus would react and when I finally settled on that I wanted to make it clear that it wasn't his initial reaction )

MacaroniWithExtraCheese ] Thanks for the honest criticism. I'm actually working on a way to edit that chapter so the letter scene flows in better with the rest of the chapter. Also the the teasing nearly gave me a heart attack but I do always enjoy a little ribbing. XD

RayneEthelwulf ] It's okay to be neutral. After all some of the best countries in the world are neutral. Like Switzerland. ….and Sweden.

bale626 ] Thank you for the honest ( if short ) review. Hope you enjoyed reading.

Silver06 ] Thank you…as always.

Chapter 14 -

Shukumei-of-another-world ] Ache all over huh? Glad to know I can give you some sort of anticipation.

MyHeartIsObsidian ] I'm pretty sure it's because you just read something steamy and delicious.

RayneEthelwulf ] How can you have more than one smile? Were you born with a second mouth? Lol. I kid. Glad you enjoyed it.

femegade ] Best way to end anything is to leave your audience wanting more.

Animage ] It's alright. You conveyed yourself just fine. It's certainly fun to learn how much I can stir my readers up.

Chapter 15 -

femegade ] sometimes sweet is good. This was one of those times.

M-Angel 05 ] It would not surprise me if Gene started sticking stickers to the back of Garrus' armor saying ' back off he's mine!'.

Chapter 16 -

MyHeartIsObsidian ] I cannot tell you how many times my screen was tilting back and forth while playing that game. I blame Chakwas, she started the idea of 'drunken Shepard' for me.

femegade ] So demanding, good thing I have the supplely to meet such a demand. …I don't even know what I'm saying anymore.

Redglade ] I don't really see Garrus following Shepard like a worried mother hen. I see him more following her around like the alpha male to her alpha female in a pack of wolves….but I'm weird.

M-Angel 05 ] Oh I think Garrus learned more than just a lil about his Commander by the time this story was done.

RayneEthelwulf ] Glad I could still catch you off guard.

Chapter 17 -

Shukumei-of-another-world ] I don't really think 'vampire' when I think 'biting'. I tend equate 'sucking' with vampires and not just biting. Besides when Garrus does it it's more like a cat gently nipping at you to show it's affection ( …and yes that does come from personal experiences with cats….and boyfriends….)

YoshisSupport ] Thank you so much for the feedback. I'm so glad that my writing is easy to follow and engaging. I hope you stuck around for the ending.

GrimsonAshes ] The way I see it jealousy is just apart of love and everyone's gotta have their own way of expressing it.

M-Angel 05 ] I'm happy you could sit back and relax with this for reading material.

femegade ] It was a rather exciting chapter to write. Glad you liked it.

SpartanGoddess ] No good romance story is complete without that all important seasoning known as ' tension'.

Chapter 18 -

ghostflowers.x ] Thank you so much for the wonderful and encouraging review. It really made me feel proud of this story and more than a little flattered.

GrimsonAshes ] I just hope I didn't let you down when the sex finally did come.

dannybates ] I'm not that cruel….okay maybe I am. Thanks for reading. ( also…OMG dannybates reviewed my stuff *fans self* I had a bit of a moment when I spotted your name in my review pile. I love your stuff. ).

M-Angel 05 ] GOOD! I did my job then.

Chapter 19 -

Shukumei-of-another-world ] LOL. I'm glad you somehow managed to get over it.

GoogleFloobs ] I've thought about writing the other dynamics as well but…I dunno I'm just not as motivated in those areas at the moment. Maybe sometime in the future. You could certainly put in a bid for a request or commission if you really want me to get on it though. And don't worry about the chapter titles they're mostly there to amuse. ( here's a hint though, they all have something to do with some sort of myth or fairytale )

Animage ] Mush huh? I think I'm very happy with this news.

femegade ] Awesome to know you enjoyed it.

Uranus' Angel Eyes ] All in one huh? Sweeeet.

Chapter 20 -

femegade ] I did try to portray sensuality, glad to know I got that part down.

Jon36155 ] To be honest I was just so surprised that someone recognized that song that I think I sat there stunned for the first five seconds after reading your review. Glad you loved it.

ghostflowers.x ] It would kind of suck if I gave away the ending to those that haven't played the game. And it was about time for some tenderness so it all fit pretty well.

m-angel 05 ] Thank you for loving this story so much, it means a lot to me.

Chapter 21 -

Shukumei-of-another-world ] Nah it was all mostly fatherly.

nazzy and jerkez ] I choked up a bit reading your glowing review. Thank you so much for the praise. Not so sure how I feel about the stalker thing. Good…ish? And don't worry. If you don't find anything better…just know that I'm always here to WRITE something better.

Raiden Hawkeye ] To be fair the Krogan charging you would probably hit you even if you were paying attention but it's encouraging to know that I can distract people from life or death situations…sort of.

Bluumberry ] Yeah those sort of things are great for some people but tend to throw me off a story so I tried my best to avoid in-game scenes and Kaiden three-way romance issues. Hope you enjoyed the story to the end.

karla ] Love Shepard's family huh? Then you'll really love the sequel to this story.

Starlight Sanctuary ] Well geez, now I feel like I'm chocolate…..this a good feeling.

M-Angel 05 ] As always it's great to hear from you.

YoshisSupport ] It's awesome to hear that you found something worthwhile in this story. And yeah…the talk was pretty fun.

dannybates ] I know. I started out going pretty steady and fast on this one but circumstances forced me to go a bit slower after I got to a certain point.

Chapter 22 -

BladesoftheValkyrie ] Banter is one of my favorite things to write. I'm glad you enjoyed it. And I hope you enjoyed the rest of the story as well.

shadow fox91 ] Will do. Thanks for the review.

KinkyLittleMonster ] Well I did try for the ' cute older couple' feel with them. But in the sequel to this story you'll get to see their rough patches…trust me. It's pretty darn awesome and cute in it's awkward way.

YoshisSupport ] Good to know that they work well as plot reminders. And yeah Shepard finding out was something of a giggle moment for me too.

M-Angel 05 ] Yeah Gene's family is a bit fun to show off…to a point.

Chapter 23 -

Kim Demon ] Yeah things did get better. Thanks for the support and I'm glad you loved the story.

SpartanGoddess ] Thank you for the best wishes. It's always encouraging to hear people care whether or not bad things happen to me. Even if they are strangers over the internet.

M-Angel 05 ] The only reason I didn't forget this mission is because I've played through the game at least ten different times….and that includes all of the DLC.

Chapter 24 -

Sentinel145 ] I'm not yet sure whether or not this story will continue once ME3 comes out. It depends on the story of ME3 and how I feel about it. It is highly likely however that this story will pick up again once ME3 has come out.

Chapter 25 -

Jozs001 ] I am intending for Cultural Studies to be something of a Romantic Comedy. Glad you are looking forward to it. Hope you enjoy my stories in the future.

M-Angel 05 ] I'm so glad! Thank you for sticking with me for so long!


End file.
